ABSTRACT
We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of RALP for UPJO in a heterogeneous pediatric population. The medical records of all patients with UPJO who underwent RALP over the last 6 years and completed at least 6 months of follow-up, were retrospectively reviewed. Data included age, sex, laterality, weight, preoperative and postoperative ultrasound and renal scintigraphy results, operation time, complications, length of hospital stay. We separately examined two groups: low-weight children (< 10 kg) and those who underwent RALP after failed pyeloplasty. One hundred patients with a median age of 18 months (range 2-216) underwent RALP. The median weight was 10 kg (range 4-90). The median operative time, including docking and console time, was 75 min (range 40-183). The median hospital stay was one day (range: 1-3). Ninety-eight percent of the patients showed improvement or stable hydronephrosis on postoperative imaging, with a better drainage curve on dynamic radionuclide scans. In two patients, the hydronephrosis worsened. One patient's ipsilateral UVJ was obstructed, and the other patient's UPJO recurred. The operative time was shorter in the low-weight group (p < 0.001), but the length of hospital stay and success rate were not different. Neither the hospital stay nor the success rate of redo RALP patients differed significantly from a control group of primary RALP patients. Our data show that RALP might be utilized as a universal approach in pediatric patients with UPJO.
