Mucosal ultrastructure of continent cecal reservoir for urine and its ileal nipple valve 2-9 years after construction.

Biopsy specimens from continent cecal reservoir for urine and from its ileal nipple valve were studied with electron microscopy after two to nine years of function in ten patients. In the colonic mucosa from the reservoir there was shortening of microvilli, in some cases with random orientation and numerical reduction-changes unrelated to the time from reservoir construction. Filamentous core rootlets were also randomly oriented and numerically diminished. Glycocalyceal bodies were present in most cases. Mucosal edema and reduced numbers of goblet cells were found in six cases and increased amount of collagen in two. In the ileal nipple valve mucosa there were no microvillous changes, but metaplastic formation of glycocalyceal bodies was interpreted as adaptation to physiologic conditions comparable with those in the reservoir's colonic mucosa. Collagen increase was found in two of the nipple valves. Neurogenic processes, enterochromaffin cells and Paneth cells were always well preserved in normal amounts in the cecal as well as the ileal mucosa.