[Appendicular ureteroplasty to repair a ureteric lesion during disk surgery]

Extensive ureteric lesions raise difficult problems of surgical repair. This is also the case for upper ureteric lesions that often require replacement of the damaged segment or even autologous transplantation. The authors report a case of iatrogenic ureteric lesion resulting in a large defect in a patient operated 6 months previously for an L4-L5 disk hernia, which was treated successfully by interposition of an appendicular graft between the two ureteric stumps. In the light of this case, the authors discuss the various appearances of iatrogenic ureteric lesions with particular emphasis on the value of appendicular ureteroplasty due to its simplicity and low morbidity, while waiting for progress in the field of biocompatible substitutes.