[Ureteral avulsion: a rare complication of ureteroscopy]

A case of ureteral avulsion as a complication of ureteroscopy is presented. A 55-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with the complaint of hematuria. The intravenous pyelography revealed a calculus measuring 16 x 12 mm located in the left upper ureter. Transurethral ureterolithotripsy was performed with 8 F rigid ureteroscopy. A safety guide wire was inserted and left ureteral olifice was dilated to 9 F. The ureteroscopy was smoothly introduced just under the stone. The stone was fragmentated with a pneumatic lithotripter. A part of the stone was pushed back to the renal pelvis, so the ureteroscope was passed to that stone and fragmentation was done as much as possible. The ureteroscopy was gently pulled out to the bladder, but the distal ureter was torn at the ureteral orifice and could be seen at the urethral orifice. Pelvis, upper ureter and middle ureter were intact, so open intervention for repair was not performed. A 6Fr double pigtail stent was placed over the safety guidewire. Cystscopy indicated a part of the distal ureter was protruded from the ureteral orifice. Eight weeks later, the protruded part of ureter was necrotic and calcified for ischemia. Transurethral resection of necrotic ureter was performed. Histologically, resected ureter changed necrotic tissue for ischema. Postoperatively intravenous pyelography did not reveal left hydronephrosis and cystoscopy indicated that the left ureteral orifice was almost normally repaired.