Transurethral incision of ureterocele: Does the time of presentation affect the need for further surgical interventions?

Abstract

Ureterocele management is considered to be one of the famous debates in pediatric urology. Despite some considering transurethral ureterocele incision (TUI) as a temporary line of treatment, others have reported good results in terms of being a definitive treatment. The present study evaluated the feasibility of TUI as a definitive line of management. Moreover, it studied the impact of presentation on the outcomes. The charts of patients who had ureteroceles from 1995 to 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who had undergone initial TUI were included. The initial presentation and timing were recorded. All ultrasounds, voiding cystourethrograms (VCUG) and dimercaptosuccinic acid scans (DMSA) pre-TUI and post-TUI were reviewed. Moreover, the occurrence of febrile urinary tract infections (FUTI) and any secondary surgical intervention were recorded. RESULTS (FIG. A): A total of 51 patients with 53 ureteroceles were included. Of these, 51% presented antenatally, while others had FUTI at the time of presentation. Thirty-nine ureteroceles were associated with duplex system ureterocele (DSU), while the remaining ones had single system ureterocele (SSU). The median follow-up was 44 months. The incidence of de-novo reflux into ureterocele was 44% of SSU and 23% of DSU (P=0.22). Reflux into ureterocele after TUI (four SSU and seven DSU) carried a high risk of surgical interventions (3/4 SSU and 6/7 DSU). Hydronephrosis was improved in 64% of both DSU and SSU patients. Secondary surgery was performed in 51% of DSU and 35.7% of SSU. Twelve patients (67%) presented postnatally with DSU and had subsequent interventions after incision in comparison with 38% (eight patients) of those who presented antenatally. The DSU had improved renal function (by DMSA) in 26%, while the remaining had stable renal function. All patients with delayed ureterocele presentation had FUTI, while 1/3 of antenatally presenting patients had FUTI during follow-up. Notably, the age at subsequent interventions was apparently the same despite different ages at presentation. Study limitations included the retrospective chart review. Additionally, the pre-operative and postoperative investigations, such as laboratory and radiological results, were present and reviewed in most, but not all, patients. Two thirds of SSU and approximately half DSU patients had no surgical intervention after TUI. However, those who presented antenatally had a lower risk of FUTI and lesser probability of being re-operated. VUR into ureterocele, regardless the system duplicity, had a high re-operation rate. After ureterocele incision, 26% of DSU patients had renal function improvement.