The Use of Prophylactic Ureteric Stents in Major Abdomino-Pelvic Sarcoma Surgery: Risks, Benefits, and Potential Complications.

Here we present two cases of post-operative obstructive renal failure following major abdomino-pelvic sarcoma surgery. In both cases, prophylactic ureteric stents were inserted to aid the identification and protection of the ureters during resection of these complex retroperitoneal masses. In case one, obstructive renal failure occurred following ureteric stent removal on day 0 post-operatively. In case two, obstructive renal failure developed on day 1 post-operatively despite having a ureteric stent in situ. Here we propose that a combination of reflex anuria/ureteric edema and papillary sloughing led to the obstructive renal failure in both cases. Re-insertion of bilateral ureteric stents in case one, and replacement of a right ureteric stent in case two saw prompt excretion of urine and sloughy debris with rapid improvement of renal function. This article presents these cases in detail and further reviews the use of prophylactic ureteric stents in major abdomino-pelvic surgery along with the current guidelines for their usage.

Spontaneous retroperitoneal haemorrhage following re-perfusion of an ischaemic kidney leading to emergency trauma nephrectomy.

Here we present a rare case of life-threatening spontaneous renal haemorrhage following elective vascular surgery. A 73-year-old gentleman presents to the ED with acute onset right sided flank pain, 24 hours post bilateral renal artery stent insertion for renal artery stenosis. Subsequent angiography demonstrated bilateral renal artery stent occlusion with near complete bilateral kidney infarction. The patient urgently underwent bilateral renal artery thrombectomy. Post-operatively the patient developed severe unilateral flank pain and became haemodynamically unstable. Subsequent imaging revealed a large right sided retroperitoneal haematoma with active arterial bleeding. The patient ultimately underwent a right sided trauma nephrectomy for haemorrhage control.

Persistent retroperitoneal haematoma from undiagnosed renal cell carcinoma in a young trauma patient.

A man in his 20s presents to the emergency department after a water skiing accident and was diagnosed with a grade 3 left renal laceration. He subsequently required cystoscopic insertion of a ureteric stent after failing a trial of conservative management. Over the next 9 months, he re-presented to the hospital twice with increasing flank pain and fevers. Subsequent imaging demonstrated interval progression of the retroperitoneal haematoma with a suspicious calcified lower pole lesion which was biopsied subsequently and revealed malignant tissue. External compression of the kidney by this large haematoma was also thought to be contributing to a state of Page kidney. The patient underwent definitive management with an open left-sided radical nephrectomy which confirmed type 2 papillary renal cell carcinoma. The patient is now normotensive and back to his baseline function. He will undergo surveillance CT imaging and be referred to familial genetic services.

Obstructive uropathy in the context of ureteroinguinal hernia: experience of challenges in surgical management of an unwell patient.

This case exemplifies an unusual anatomical variation of a common presentation and highlights the importance of perioperative diagnosis and planning in complex surgical patients. A 72-year-old comorbid man presented to the emergency department with an infected obstructed right kidney secondary to an obstructing 12 mm vesicoureteric junction calculi. However, imaging also showed concurrent ureteroinguinal hernia associated with a 130 cm-long ureter, too long for conventional treatment with a ureteric stent. Acutely, the patient's collecting system was decompressed via nephrostomy, but due to the rarity of this anatomical variation, definitive treatment had to be rethought to help reduce the risk of iatrogenic damage and the associated long-term complications.