Urogenital Sinus is a term for a complex urogenital malformation in which the urinary tract and vagina come together and form one common channel with one opening between the labia.  Because this malformation includes vagina specifically, it can only truly occur in girls.  This malformation is very similar to another malformation we treat, called cloaca, a malformation in which the urethra, vagina, and rectum come together to form a single channel.   You can think of urogenital sinus as being a cloaca without the rectal component.   That's an important concept because some patients with urogenital sinus were born with normal anuses and have a true congenital urogenital sinus, but others were born with a cloaca and a surgeon may have repaired only the rectal part.  In that situation once the rectum has been separated from the cloaca, what remains is a urogenital sinus.  
Every patient with a urogenital sinus, regardless of if it was purely congenital, or left after a surgery, is unique and requires an individualized care plan that recognizes the unique challenges that come with having a urogenital sinus.  If your child has been diagnosed with a urogenital sinus, or is having urinary issues after cloaca surgery and you suspect may have a urogenital sinus, don't hesitate to contact us if you think we may be able to help.  

Urogenital Sinus

Please keep in mind that not all patients with a urogenital sinus need repair.  When the urinary outflow tract connects to the vagina, some people will have urine drip into the vagina during voiding.   That urine can drip out later and cause an accident, or can help create an environment where urinary tract infections occur.  Other people can have a urogenital sinus and void normally, living a clean and dry life without any higher risk of urinary infection than anyone else.  To paraphrase the great Dr. Alberto Peña, urogenital sinus patients present like a 'spectrum', in a wide range of ways, some of whom will benefit from operations, but others who don't need or could be made worse by operations. 
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