[Principles of the surgical treatment of cloacal malformation. Apropos of 3 cases].

The persistent cloaca is one of the most complex and challenging developmental malformation. It is a rare anomaly occuring only in the female newborn and represented by the association of a urogenital sinus with an anorectal malformation. We report here three cases seen and recently treated in Montpellier (France) in the unit of visceral pediatric surgery (Pr J.G. Pous) between 1981 and 1983. A precise knowledge of normal embryology is very helpful in order to understand these complex anatomical situations. Every case is probably unique, but some main principles of management can be stressed. Neonatal loop colostomy is probably safer in most cases and can allow temporizing until the child is 6 months to 1 year of age. Interim management is often needed: intermittent catheterisation of the bladder and/or urine-filled vagina via the uro-genital sinus, avoiding urinary diversions, except possible temporary supra-pubic cystostomy. Definitive reconstruction is often a long and complex procedure, strictly dependent on absolutely thorough radio-endoscopic pre-operative investigations. It is vital to know exactly the length of the cloacal canal and of the urethra, because surgical reconstruction will vary according to the level at which the various structures converge. Cloacas represent a wide anatomic spectrum: as the severity of the defect increases, there is urogenital sinus with anterior anus ("Near cloacal malformation"), low and high confluence of all three systems. The goal of surgery is to perform in a single operation, the separation of the different conduits and to preserve all the sphincteric mechanisms for urinary-anal continence and genital functions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)