Purpose: To report on the largest series of laparoscopic ureterocalicostomies done for complicated upper urinary obstruction.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data from 6 transperitoneal laparoscopic ureterocalicostomies performed in our institution from January 2008 to January 2012. Symptomatic complicated upper urinary obstruction was the main reason for all the procedures. The recorded data included age, gender, clinical presentation, duration of symptoms, laterality, mean operative time, hospital stay, complications and clinical and functional outcomes.
Results: The median patient age was 20.1 (2-44) years, and all patients were females. Patients underwent laparoscopic ureterocalicostomy due to previous failed procedures (3 patients), anatomic abnormalities (2 patients) and a severe upper ureteral stenosis (1 patient). The median operative time was 215 (180-270) min. There were no major complications. There were no conversions to open surgery. In a median follow-up of 30 (8-56) months, all patients presented with clinical and radiological improvement with no signs of obstruction. In all cases, the postoperative renal scintigraphy revealed a T1/2 lower than 10 min.
Conclusion: Laparoscopic ureterocalicostomy is feasible and associated with high success rate in well-selected cases with complicated upper urinary obstructions.