Le malformazioni urogenitali complesse: la presa in carico chirurgica e psicologica del bambino-adolescente e della famiglia

Bladder exstrophy-epispadias complex (BEEC) represents a spectrum of genitourinary malformations concerning male and female sexes. It needs different surgical operations to obtain, primarily, secure abdominal wall closure, achieving urinary continence with preservation of renal function, and, finally, adequate cosmetic and functional genital reconstruction. The psychological feature and the sexual aspects of this pathology have important effects on the patient’s and their family’s past. So, the multidisciplinary approach, which involves psychologist and surgeon upfront, permits: to completely answer patients’ and relatives’ questions, to give emotional and sexual education, emphasizing the expression and the verbalization of the emotions, and to give people concerned useful tools to face the BEEC in a more conscious way. By treating the pathology in a multidimensional way, it is possible to accompany the patients and their families along the developmental steps, optimizing therapeutic intervention benefits.