Bladder Exstrophy Research

The Division of Pediatric Urology at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is actively engaged in research dedicated to improving functional outcomes of children with all forms of bladder exstrophy.

Exstrophy is a relatively rare condition and Lurie Children’s is a founding member of a multi-institutional collaboration to study all aspects of exstrophy to understand how we can deliver the best care possible. As such, our division is actively engaged with four other high-volume Midwest children’s hospitals as part of the Pediatric Urology Midwest Alliance (P.U.M.A.). Through this partnership, bladder and cloacal exstrophy are being actively studied in one of the most robust research platforms and registries to date.

Our team is dedicated to providing expert surgical care and to combine our collective experience to improve surgical outcomes. To accomplish this goal, members of each pediatric urology team travel to each other’s institutions to “coach” each other and give the highest level care to every child.