This topic is about someone who is looking for top surgeons in the United States to perform a continent urostomy diversion. They were turned down for this procedure at Shands Hospital in Florida due to their kidney function being at 45%. Now, they are seeking the best specialists who regularly perform this type of surgery and need advice on how to find and contact these experts.

Here are some helpful tips and insights:

1. Focus your search on large, academic or teaching medical centers. These places usually have surgeons with a lot of experience in reconstructive urology and continent diversions. Some recommended centers include:
- Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, GA
- Mayo Clinic with campuses in Phoenix, AZ, and Jacksonville, FL
- Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH (website: www.clevelandclinic.org)
- Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC
- University of North Carolina Hospitals in Chapel Hill, NC
- Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC

2. Look for board-certified urologists or urologic oncologists who frequently perform procedures like "continent urinary diversion" or "Indiana pouch." Urologic oncologists often handle a high number of these cases.

3. When reaching out to these centers, consider asking about:
- The number of continent diversions each surgeon performs annually
- The outcomes for patients with reduced kidney function
- Post-operative urinary tract infection rates and how they manage these, as kidney function and infection risk might be reasons for the initial denial at Shands.