Management of ureteral strictures after ureteroscopic holmium laser lithotripsy: a single center 5-year retrospective study / 中华泌尿外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore optimum surgical treatment of ureteral strictures after ureteroscopic holmium laser lithotripsy.Methods:The clinical data of 113 patients with ureteral stricture after ureteroscopic holmium laser lithotripsy from December 2014 to December 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. Of all the patients, there were 73 males and 40 females(aged from 31 to 68) with the mean age of 49 years. The mean length of ureteral stricture was 15mm (from 5mm to 25mm). The mean time since the last holmium laser lithotripsy was 6 months (from 3months to 10 months). According to the different treatment of stenosis, 113 patients were divided into endourological treatment group (34 patients) and reconstruction group(79 patients). According to the different surgical methods, endourological treatment group was divided into ureteral balloon dilatation (18 patients) and ureterotomy (16 patients). Reconstruction group was divided into laparoscopic surgery and open surgery, whose were ureteral stenosis resection and anastomosis. Patients were followed up closely postoperatively. Therapeutic success was defined as disappeared hydronephrosis, and unobstructed anastomosis. Success rate, operation time, postoperative changes of hemoglobin, hospital stay and the incidence of postoperative complications were measured.Results:The follow-up time ranged from 5 months to 53 months, with a median time of 18 months. There was no significant difference in age, sex, BMI, location of ureteral stricture, side of stricture and degree of hydronephrosis between endourological treatment group and reconstruction group( P>0.05). The length of ureteral stricture in reconstruction group was significantly longer than that in endourological treatment group (10.3±4.2 mm vs. 17.2±7.8mm, P<0.001). Although the operation time, postoperative changes of hemoglobin, hospital stay and the incidence of postoperative complications were lower in the endourological treatment group compared to reconstruction group ( P<0.001), the overall success rate of the reconstruction operation was significantly higher than that in endourological treatment group (96.2% vs. 61.8%, P<0.001). Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the success rate between laparoscopic surgery group and open surgery group (95.3% vs.97.2%, P<0.05), and there was no significant difference between the balloon dilatation group and the stenosis internal ureterotomy group (66.7% vs.56.3%, P<0.05).113 cases were followed up for an average of 18 (5-53) months. Conclusions:For the treatment of ureteral stricture after ureteroscopic holmium laser lithotripsy, the success rate of reconstruction group (laparoscopic surgery and open surgery)was significantly higher than that of endourological surgery (balloon dilatation and internal ureterotomy). Reconstruction surgery is the optimum surgical treatment to treat ureteral stricture after ureteroscopic holmium laser lithotripsy.