Laser-puncture of the ureterocele in neonatal patients significantly decreases an incidence of de novo vesico-ureteral reflux than electrosurgical incision.

INTRODUCTION: Endoscopic laser-puncture or electrosurgical incision are the most commonly used minimaly invasive approaches for the treatment of the ureterocele. Both techniques are mainly successful in decompressing of ureteroceles, but the consequence of such treatment may be formation of de novo vesicoureteral reflux and febrile urinary tract infection which could impact the final results. OBJECTIVE: To compare outcomes of treatment of two endoscopic techniques used in management of neonatal patients with intravesical ureterocele. STUDY DESIGN: A case records of 64 neonates who underwent endoscopic procedures for intravesical ureterocele, performed at our institution from January 2005 to January 2021, were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided in two groups depending on used endoscopic procedure. The first group (n = 41) consisted of patients who underwent electrosurgical incision of the ureterocele, while the second group (n = 23) consisted of patients in whom 6 to 8 laser-punctures of the ureterocele were performed. The groups were compared in regards to outcomes of treatment, with special emphasis on de novo vesicoureteral reflux and the need for further treatment and surgery. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 7.5 (IQR 3, 11.5) and 3.5 (IQR 1.5, 5) years in the electroincision and laser-puncture groups, respectively (P = 0.017). No significant differences between the groups in regards to medians of duration of surgery (12 min vs. 11 min, P = 0.670), length of hospital stay (2 days in both groups, P = 0.988) or postoperative obstruction (n = 1 vs. n = 0, P > 0.999) were recorded. Ureterocele decompression was achieved after endoscopic treatment in 87.9% and 100% of the patients in electrosurgery and laser-puncture groups, respectively (P = 0.150). Five patients (12.1%) from electrosurgery group required endoscopic retreatment. The laser-puncture group had a significantly decreased rate of de novo vesicoureteral reflux (8.7% vs. 58.5%; P = 0.0001) and lower incidence of subsequent surgery due to de novo vesicoureteral reflux (50% vs. 62.5%; P = 0.727). CONCLUSION: Both electrosurgical incision and laser-puncture endoscopic techniques are safe and effective in relieving the obstruction. Laser-puncture technique is associated with significantly lower incidence of de novo vesicoureteral reflux and accordingly fewer invasive procedures for neonatal patients.

Antibiotic prophylaxis in antenatal nonrefluxing hydronephrosis, megaureter and ureterocele.

Observation is a conservative management option in infants with nonrefluxing hydronephrosis, primary nonrefluxing megaureter and ureterocele diagnosed postnatally following antenatal detection of hydronephrosis. Antibiotic prophylaxis might be a sensible regimen under these circumstances to prevent UTI in this population who are potentially at increased risk. However, studies examining the efficacy of prophylactic antibiotics are sparse in this setting. For each condition, prophylactic policies seem extremely variable, and UTI rates vary widely with comparable rates reported between patients followed on and off antibiotics. Overall, antibiotic prophylaxis seems unnecessary in patients with isolated low-grade hydronephrosis. Patients with high-grade nonrefluxing hydronephrosis seem at increased risk of UTI, with risk further increasing in patients with associated ureteral dilatation (hydroureteronephrosis) irrespective of the presence of a ureterocele. Obstruction might be an additional independent risk factor, but the diagnosis of obstruction is often possible only in retrospect. The data available suggest that infants are the most at risk of UTI during the first 6 months of life, particularly if they undergo catheterization during workup examinations. Thus, antibiotic prophylaxis might be prudent during the first 6-12 months of life in patients with high-grade hydronephrosis and hydroureteronephrosis with or without ureterocele, and particularly before completion of the diagnostic workup. Paediatric urologists are urged to embark on controlled trials to compare patients followed with and without antibiotic prophylaxis.

Complete excision or marsupialization of ureteroceles: does choice of surgical approach affect outcome?

PURPOSE: Two accepted open surgical techniques exist for lower urinary tract reconstruction for ureteroceles, that is complete excision/enucleation and marsupialization/partial excision. To our knowledge it is currently unknown whether 1 method offers better clinical outcomes. We sought to answer this question. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients who underwent open surgical repair for ureterocele at 3 academic institutions. The 2 groups (complete excision vs marsupialization) were compared for each clinical outcome, including ongoing vesicoureteral reflux, new bladder diverticulum, hydronephrosis, continence, urinary tract infection and voiding dysfunction. Each clinical outcome was analyzed for independence from the surgical method. RESULTS: A total of 33 cases of complete excision and 24 of marsupialization were collected. The excision and marsupialization groups were similar with respect to patient age at surgery, gender and average followup (55 and 38 months, respectively). Most ureteroceles were unilateral and part of a duplicated system. Approximately half were intravesical and vesicoureteral reflux was the primary indication for surgery. In the excision group 82% of ureteroceles were previously punctured but only 50% were punctured in the marsupialization group (p = 0.09). Postoperatively the groups did not differ significantly in terms of ongoing vesicoureteral reflux (13% and 14%), bladder diverticulum (3% and 9%), continence (100% and 95%), urinary tract infection (43% and 46%) or voiding dysfunction (24% and 25%, respectively). They varied significantly in terms of improved or stable hydronephrosis (70% vs 91%, p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: When performing lower urinary tract reconstruction for ureterocele, this study demonstrates that the choice of complete excision vs marsupialization/partial excision does not appear to differentially affect clinical outcomes.

Morbilidad de las Uropatías Congénitas Obstructivas del Tractus Urinario Superior más frecuentes en Matanzas / Morbidity of the Congenital Obstructive Uropathies of the Upper Urinary Tract more frequently in Matanzas

Se revisa la morbilidad de las más frecuentes anomalías congénitas del Sistema Urinario en la provincia de Matanzas, Cuba, en un período de 30 años. Se encuentra que las más frecuentes malformaciones Urológicas son el Reflujo Vésico Ureteral, la Hidronefrosis Congénita, por compromiso de la unión pielo ureteral, la Estenosis Urétero Vesical y el Ureterocele. Se analizan la incidencia de estas patologías, edad, sexo, raza, síntomas más frecuentes, técnicas quirúrgicas utilizadas y las patologías asociadas

We review the morbidity of the more frequently congenital anomalies of the Upper Urinary System in the province of Matanzas, Cuba, in a period of 30 years. We found that the more frequently urological malformations are the vesico–urethral Reflux; the congenital hydronefrosis for the compromise of the skin-urethral joint; vesico-urethral stenosis and ureterocele. We analyze the incidence of these pathologies, age, sex, race, and more frequent symptoms; used surgical techniques and associated anomalies.

Vesicoureteral reflux and ureteroceles.

PURPOSE: We quantified the burden of vesicoureteral reflux and ureteroceles in the United States by identifying trends in the use of health care resources and estimating the economic impact of the diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The analytical methods used to generate these results were described previously. RESULTS: Annual inpatient hospitalizations for vesicoureteral reflux increased slightly between 1994 and 2000 from 6.4/100,000 to 7.0/100,000 children, although this trend did not attain statistical significance. Inpatient hospitalization for ureteroceles remained relatively stable between 1994 and 2000 at an average of approximately 2,818 cases annually (1.0/100,000 to 1.1/100,000 children). The rates of visits to physician offices doubled during the 1990 s for commercially insured children (12/100,000 in 1994 and 26/100,000 in 2002) and children covered by Medicaid (43/100,000 in 1996 and 85/100,000 in 2000). Overall the rate of ambulatory surgery visits by commercially insured children increased from 3.4/100,000 in 1998 to 4.8/100,000 in 2002. Similar estimates were not available for children covered by Medicaid. Emergency room use by children with a primary diagnosis of vesicoureteral reflux was rare, reflecting the trend toward delivery of care at physician offices, ambulatory surgery centers and inpatient hospitals. No reliable data could be obtained on outpatient visits or ambulatory surgery for ureteroceles. In 2000 total expenditures for inpatient pediatric vesicoureteral reflux were $47 million, an increase of more than $10 million since 1997. Based on data from 2000 the yearly national inpatient expenditures from ureterocele treatment were an estimated $4 million. CONCLUSIONS: The economic impact of inpatient treatment for pediatric vesicoureteral reflux is considerable. If other service types such as pharmaceuticals, and outpatient and ambulatory services were considered, the observed impact of this condition would certainly be greater. Importantly the costs of prophylactic medical therapy and emerging therapies such as Deflux are not accounted for in this estimate. Furthermore, indirect economic costs, such as work loss to parents of children with pediatric vesicoureteral reflux, were not considered, causing an even greater underestimation of the true costs associated with the condition. Although the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions, and the Health Care Cost and Utilization Project Kids' Inpatient Database include data on ureteroceles, the data were limited and, thus, they could not be used to determine reliable cost trends. Available data indicate that the mean cost per ureterocele case was almost $8,000 with little variation observed across ages, regions or sexes.

Use of collagen for endoscopic correction in complicated vesicoureteral reflux.

OBJECTIVE: Endoscopic treatment of children with primary vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) has become an alternative to long-term antibiotic prophylaxis and open surgery. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficiency and safety of endoscopic subureteral injections of collagen (STING) as a treatment for complicated VUR in children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-five patients (41 ureteral units) underwent a modified STING procedure for the correction of complicated VUR. Of these patients, five (nine refluxing units) had Hutch's diverticulum, 10 (17 refluxing units) had a duplex system, eight (10 refluxing units) had ureterocele, one (three refluxing units) had a unilateral triple ureter and one (two refluxing units) had a bilateral single ectopic ureter. Of these 41 ureteral units, 14 had grade III VUR, 17 grade IV and 10 grade V. Fourteen refluxing units (30%) received one session of STING, which was successful, and 27 (70%) needed a second session. A follow-up voiding cystourethrogram was performed 3 months after each session of STING. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 24 months (range 3-36 months). Of these 41 refluxing units, 34 were treated successfully and regression or downgrading occurred in seven. Follow-up i.v. pyelography or sonography did not reveal any urinary tract obstruction. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed that endoscopic correction of these complicated refluxing ureters may be the first choice of treatment, but the technique must be modified to suit each individual case.

Obstructive ureterocele-an ongoing challenge.

Ureterocele is a cystic dilatation of the intravesical ureter that is most commonly observed in females and children, and usually affects the upper moiety of a complete pyeloureteral duplication. According to their position, ureteroceles are divided into intravesical, when the ureterocele is completely contained inside the bladder, and extravesical when part of the cyst extends to the urethra or bladder neck. Most ureteroceles are diagnosed in utero or immediately after birth during an echographic screening of renal malformations. Severe, febrile urinary tract infection is the most common postnatal presentation of ureteroceles, but they may, rarely, prolapse and acutely obstruct the bladder outlet. Once an ureterocele is identified sonographically, a voiding cystourethrogram to detect vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) and a 99m-technetium dimercapto-succinic acid renal scan to evaluate the function of the different portions of the kidney are mandatory. VUR in the lower pole is observed in 50% of cases and in the contralateral kidney in 25%. Simple endoscopic puncture of the ureterocele has recently been advocated as an emergency therapy for infected or obstructing ureteroceles and as an elective therapy for intravesical ureteroceles. The rate of additional surgery after elective endoscopic puncture of an orthotopic ureterocele ranges from 7 to 23%. Treatment of ectopic ureteroceles is more challenging and both endoscopic puncture and upper pole partial nephrectomy frequently require additional surgery at the bladder level. The reoperation rate after endoscopic treatment varies from 48 to 100%. It is 15 to 20% after upper pole partial nephrectomy if VUR was absent before the operation, but is as high as 50-100% when VUR was present. Thus, endoscopic incision is appropriate as an emergency treatment or when dealing with a completely intravesical ureterocele. Upper pole partial nephrectomy is the elective treatment for an ectopic ureterocele without preoperative VUR. In an ectopic ureterocele with VUR, no matter which type of primary therapy has been chosen, a secondary procedure at the bladder level, involving ureterocele removal and reimplantation of the ureter(s), should be anticipated.

[Ureterocele in children]. / Ureterocele en niños.

INTRODUCTION: Ureterocele is cystic dilation of the terminal part of the ureter located within the bladder of the urethra or both. In the majority of cases, it is accompanied by a double-collector system and affects 6:1 female child patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted an observational, longitudinal, transverse, descriptive, retrospective, and open study. Files of pediatric patients with diagnosed ureterocele from January 1, 1990 through December 31, 2002 were reviewed. Age, sex, symptomatology, type of ureterocele, side effects, and laboratory and image studies were analyzed. RESULTS: There were 40 cases, 50% male, average age 20 months; first clinical manifestation was urinary tract infection in 87.5%. Ectopic type was found more frequently with 62.3% and orthotopic or simple, in 37.5%. First surgical intervention was reimplantation in 80% of ectopic and in 66.7% in orthotopic cases. DISCUSSION: Ureterocele treatment depends to a great degree on status of affected kidney and capacity of functionality of the contralateral kidney. The spectrum of therapeutic modalities range from transureteral incision of ureterocele to nephrectomy and vesical reconstruction. Indication to proceed with endoscopy would be considered only in a patient with intravesical ureterocele with a simple collector system. We prefer to proceed in the majority of cases with ureteral reimplantation and resection of ureterocele.

[Prenatally detected multicystic renal dysplasia and associated anomalies of the genito-urinary tract]. / Dysplasie rénale multikystique de diagnostic anténatal et anomalies associées de l'appareil génito-urinaire.

PURPOSE: To analyze the prevalence of genitourinary malformations associated with multicystic dysplastic kidney (MCDK). PATIENTS: and method: A retrospective analysis of medical and imaging records of 54 neonates who had the prenatal diagnosis of MCDK was carried out. All infants had the following examinations during their first month of life: ultrasound, voiding cystourethrography and intravenous urography. Genital and urinary abnormalities were recorded. RESULTS: Vesicoureteric reflux was present ipsilaterally in 17% cases, on the opposite side in 31% cases. Ureteropelvic junction obstruction was found on the opposite side in 7% cases. Four cases of megaureters, one child with ureteric duplication, 3 boys with posterior urethral valves, 1 with reflux into the ejaculatory duct, one case of megacystis with reflux and one child with ureterocele were identified. Genital anomalies were: 2 cases of seminal vesicle cysts, one case of absent testis, 5 children with inguinal hernia, one boy with incomplete foreskin and one with hypospadias. CONCLUSION: Embryology may explain the highest prevalence of genito-urinary abnormalities on both sides in neonates with MCDK. Hence, a prompt clinical and uroradiological evaluation in these patients with a single functional kidney should be performed.

Ureterocele arising from a lower-pole moiety.

We report on an uncommon case of a ureterocele arising from the lower-pole ureter in a duplex system. To our knowledge, this represents the 3rd such case reported in the English literature. Ultrasonography and retrograde pyelogram established the diagnosis. The patient underwent left upper-pole nephroureterectomy with excision of the ureterocele and cross-trigonal ureteral reimplantation.

Urinary tract anomalies detected by prenatal ultrasound examination at Mayo Clinic Rochester.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of fetal urinary tract anomalies and to characterize the types of such abnormalities detected on ultrasonography and the outcome of affected patients during a 15-year period at our institution. DESIGN: We retrospectively reviewed the findings on maternal prenatal ultrasound examinations and the postnatal medical records of 56 children with urinary tract abnormalities detected by prenatal ultrasound examination at Mayo Clinic Rochester from November 1979 to June 1994. RESULTS: Of the 56 children, 18 (32%) had severe urinary tract anomalies in conjunction with oligohydramnios, pulmonary hypoplasia, and perinatal death (Potter's syndrome). The other 38 infants had various urinary tract abnormalities--most commonly, isolated hydronephrosis and multicystic dysplasia of the kidney. Six of the 38 children had more than one renal abnormality detected prenatally. Reflux was noted in association with prenatally detected urinary tract abnormalities in 4 of 32 newborns (12%) who underwent voiding cystourethrography. In fetuses with normal amniotic fluid volume, the perinatal outcome was good. Children with lower urinary tract obstruction had evidence of more severe renal dysfunction than did those with involvement at more proximal levels. The presence or absence of urinary tract obstruction postnatally could not be determined reliably on the basis of prenatal ultrasound appearance. CONCLUSION: In this study, more than half of all prenatally detected urinary tract abnormalities were isolated hydronephrosis or multicystic dysplasia of the kidney. Postnatal renal function could not be reliably predicted on the basis of prenatal ultrasound findings.

The unsuspected cecoureterocele.

A review of 54 consecutive cases of ectopic ureterocele treated at our institution in the last 15 years revealed 4 cases of the cecoureterocele variant. Although the diagnosis of ectopic ureterocele was made preoperatively, the more accurate diagnosis of cecoureterocele was not suggested by preoperative radiographic studies. The cecocele component was disclosed only at endoscopy or during open resection of the ureterocele. A review of the presentation, preoperative assessment, intraoperative management and outcome of each case of unsuspected cecoureterocele suggests that optimal surgical management of the cecocele itself does not require total removal.

[The correction of primary megaureter in children. The late results]. / Korrektsiia pervichnogo megauretera u detei. Otdalennye rezul'taty.

The surgical intervention on 261 ureterovesicular segments was performed in 202 patients aged 3 months-14 years. All the patients presented with megaureter varying in forms: refluxing megaureter (147 cases), nonrefluxing megaureter (94 cases), megaureter with ureterocele (20 cases). Histological investigations demonstrated congenital structural changes of the same type to be a morphological basis of diverse megaureter forms. These structural changes involved muscular and connective tissue elements of the ureteral wall. Being qualitatively continual, the components varied in quantity thus producing different maldevelopments. Urodynamic dysfunctions depended on ureteral dysplasia severity and form. Clear-cut outlines in the x-ray image of the refluxing, nonrefluxing and megaureter with ureterocele resulted from the condition and structure of the ostium ureteris and its submucosal segment. The same pathogenetic origin of megaureter forms gave grounds for conducting operations of the same type, resection of the defective ureter along with the ostium and its replacement for a morphofunctionally competent segment with formation of another ostium. The response to the surgery was assessed in 196 patients (249 ureters). The follow-up lasted from 1.5 to 22 years. Good responses were achieved in 90%, satisfactory in 3.2%, poor in 6.8% of the surgical patients. High efficacy of the operation says in favour of its pathogenetic validity. The megaureter correction created favourable conditions for renal growth and development. However, in 7 cases the improvement has changed for progressive nephrosclerosis with decline in the organ function or arterial hypertension. The ureter in such cases was in stable good condition. The above observations suggest the necessity of further investigations of this problem and continuation of the patients' follow-up.