250 consecutive unilateral extravesical ureteral reimplantations in an outpatient setting.

PURPOSE: Unilateral extravesical ureteral reimplantation is comparable to intravesical procedures and more effective than subureteral injection to resolve vesicoureteral reflux. Initial reports showed that the procedure could be feasibly done on an outpatient basis. We present further data on a large series of consecutive, planned, outpatient unilateral extravesical ureteral reimplantations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 250 consecutive patients underwent scheduled outpatient unilateral extravesical ureteral reimplantation. We retrospectively reviewed their records. Patient data were collected on reflux laterality and grade, operative time, hospital stay, complications, need for rehospitalization and resolution rate on radiography 1 month postoperatively. RESULTS: A total of 209 females (84%) and 41 males (16%) underwent planned outpatient extravesical ureteral reimplantation, including on the left side in 158 (63%) and on the right side in 92 (37%). Mean reflux grade was 3.2 with grades II to V in 64 (26%), 96 (38%), 74 (30%) and 16 cases (7%), respectively. Average operative time was 63 minutes and average length of stay, defined as time from initial admission in to discharge home, was 6.2 hours (range 3 to 10 hours). Short-term and late complications occurred in 9 (3.6%) and 8 patients (3.2%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Extravesical ureteral reimplantation for unilateral vesicoureteral reflux may be consistently done on an outpatient basis with a reasonable complication rate and a low postoperative hospital admission rate.

Retrograde percutaneous access for kidney internal splint stent catheter placement in pediatric laparoscopic pyeloplasty: avoiding stent removal in the operating room.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Laparoscopic pyeloplasty has become increasingly used in the pediatric population for ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction. When choosing laparoscopic pyeloplasty, it is common to leave a Double-J ureteral stent across the anastomosis. In adult practice, this stent is easily removed in the office during follow-up; however, in pediatrics, cystoscopy and stent removal necessitates a trip back to the operating room. We report a novel method for placing a Kidney Internal Splint Stent (KISS) catheter, which can then be removed in the office during follow-up. METHODS: The UPJ is dismembered, spatulated, and the new lateral edges are anastomosed as usual. With the renal pelvis still open, a STING needle is passed through the epigastric midline port. The laparoscope is used to visualize an appropriate posterior calix and direct the needle through the calix and out the back of the patient. A 7F vascular dilator is then threaded over the needle in retrograde fashion and into the collecting system. A 4F or 6F KISS catheter is then threaded through the dilator and down the ureter. The dilator is removed and the surgery is then finished according to the surgeon's preference. RESULTS: We have placed this catheter in nine children without difficulties or intraoperative complications. Mean age was 8 years. All stents were otherwise removed at an average of 13 days in the office without difficulty. Three patients had problems with intermittently poor drainage necessitating flushing; in one of these patients, a recurrence of the UPJ obstruction developed. CONCLUSION: A laparoscopic approach for KISS catheter placement is a technically feasible and advantageous technique when placing a stent for a pyeloplasty repair. This eliminates a trip back to the operating room for stent removal in the pediatric population and likely decreases bladder irritation.

Unilateral extravesical ureteral reimplantation in children performed on an outpatient basis.

PURPOSE: Unilateral extravesical ureteral reimplantation is comparable to intravesical procedures for resolution of primary vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). Defining whether this operation can be consistently performed on an outpatient basis is important. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 80 patients with unilateral VUR were treated with extravesical ureteral reimplantation, of whom 20 were treated on an inpatient basis and 60 on an outpatient basis. We retrospectively reviewed these groups and conducted a telephone survey to evaluate overall patient satisfaction, and pain and nausea on postoperative days 1 and 14. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in age, gender, laterality or operative time between the groups. Average length of hospital stay was 31.25 hours (range 20 to 120) for the inpatient group and 6.6 hours (3.25 to 11.20) for the outpatient group. Average intravenous narcotic use in the inpatient group was 0.39 mg/kg, compared to 0.14 mg/kg for the outpatient group (p < 0.005), and included 1.76 mg/kg ketorolac in inpatients and 0.74 ketorolac in outpatients (p < 0.005), and 0.2 mg/kg ondansetron in inpatients and 0.12 mg/kg ondansetron in outpatients (p = 0.004). Four of the 60 outpatients (6.7%) were either hospitalized postoperatively or rehospitalized on postoperative day 1. The results of the survey for the 2 groups were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: Extravesical ureteral reimplantation for unilateral VUR may be performed without compromise in quality on an outpatient basis with significantly less use of intravenous analgesics and anti-emetics.