Laparoscopic Pyeloplasty: Always Dismembered?

OBJECTIVE: To compare three laparoscopic surgical techniques for the treatment of ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO), assessing their difficulty, operating time, effectiveness, and complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinical histories of 54 patients with UPJO who underwent a laparoscopic procedure between June 2003 and September 2013 were reviewed. Anderson-Hynes (A-H) pyeloplasty was performed on 34 patients, nondismembered pyeloplasty on 11 cases (8 Y-V Foley plasty and 3 Fenger plasty), and cephalad vascular displacement or Hellström technique (HT) on 9 patients. The patients were selected for the different techniques depending on the findings during the procedures, according to renal pelvic size and the presence of crossing vessels. We compared the techniques according to intraoperative and postoperative outcomes. Complications were interpreted following the Clavien-Dindo classification. The success rate was defined as the absence of clinical symptoms and normal diuretic renography. Analysis of variance and chi-square tests were used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 55.58 months. The success rate achieved was 88.5% for A-H pyeloplasty, 90.9% for nondismembered pyeloplasty, and 100% for HT (p > 0.05). HT was the least time-consuming: 124 ± 30 vs 202 ± 44 minutes of A-H pyeloplasty and 147 ± 27 minutes of nondismembered plasty (p < 0.005). Mean hospital stay was 6.7 ± 1.4 days for A-H pyeloplasty, 6.6 ± 2 days for nondismembered pyeloplasty, and 3.42 ± 1.5 days for HT (p < 0.05). The postoperative complication rate was 21.1% for A-H pyeloplasty, 18.8% for nondismembered pyeloplasty, and 12.5% for HT (p > 0.05). None of the cases required open surgery, and urinary fistula was the most frequent complication. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative observation of ureteropelvic junction allows selecting cases to undergo nondismembered pyeloplasty techniques, achieving similar results to A-H pyeloplasty, reducing operating time, complication rate, and hospital stay.

Intravesical sealing of the distal ureter in nephroureterectomy.

OBJECTIVES: To study the effectiveness and reliability of a new minimally invasive technique for the treatment of the terminal ureter in nephroureterectomy due to transitional cell carcinoma, both in open and laparoscopic procedures. METHODS: Observational retrospective study of 14 patients that underwent intravesical sealing and endoscopic excision of terminal ureter, before ureterectomy (11 laparoscopic, 3 open), due to an upper urinary tract tumor, between July 2003 and November 2007. This procedure was performed on 11 males and 3 females, average age 59.5 years, )range: 35-70). The tumor settled on the renal pelvis in 12 cases and on the proximal ureter in 2. Stage was Ta - T1 in 10 patients, T2 in 3, and T3 in 1. Tumor grade was G3 in 9 cases and G2 in 5. Excision was carried out with a Collins knife. In order to avoid contact between the urine and retroperitoneal space, the meatus was quickly sealed with a clip introduced by means of a transvesical trocar. RESULTS: Total surgical time of nephroureterectomy was 231.15 minutes (range 200-340). Global complication rate for the procedure was 28.4%, but the rate for the cases associated with this technique (meatus sealing and disinsertion) was 14.2%. All patients were discharged after removing bladder catheter. Mean hospital stay was 10.14 days (range: 6-22). After an average follow-up of 25.3 months (range: 12-64), no retroperitoneal recurrence has been reported. One of the patients had bladder recurrence and another one developed metastasis to the suprarenal gland that was treated satisfactorily. CONCLUSIONS: Quick sealing of distal ureter by transvesical application of a clip before its endoscopic excision in nephrourecterectomy is a sound technique from an oncological point of view, with an acceptable complication rate that avoids a second open time to manage distal ureter.