Laparoscopic dismembered tubularized flap pyeloplasty: a novel technique

Laparoscopic dismembered pyeloplasty is now an effective option for ureteropelvic junction obstruction. We describe a novel laparoscopic technique of dismembered tubularized flap pyeloplasty for a difficult recurrent long ureteropelvic junction stricture.

A 73-year-old woman with ureteropelvic junction obstruction of a solitary left kidney had undergone failed multiple procedures, including open pyeloplasty, balloon incision endopyelotomy, retrograde balloon dilation and percutaneous endopyelotomy. Using a 4-port transperitoneal laparoscopic technique, the upper ureter was dissected, the scarred ureteropelvic junction stricture was excised and the dismembered ureteropelvic junction was closed with a stitch. A wide base renal pelvic flap was created and tubularized to bridge the 3 cm. upper ureteral defect. Laparoscopic intracorporeal freehand suturing was done to reconstruct the renal pelvis and upper ureter over a Double-J stent (Medical Engineering Corp., New York, New York).

Total operative time was 4.5 hours and hospital stay was 4 days. The stent was removed 3 weeks later. At the 2-month followup the patient was asymptomatic. Excretory urography and diuretic renal scan confirmed a widely patent upper ureter with unobstructed drainage.

Dismembered renal pelvis tubularized flap pyeloplasty can be successfully performed laparoscopically to bridge a long upper ureteral defect. This approach is feasible even in a ureteropelvic junction in which previous surgery has failed.