[Blind ending bifid ureter with stone in the blind branch: report of a case]

Blind ending bifid ureter is a rare anomaly in the urinary tract. This anomaly may result from failure of a premature branch of the ureteral bud to join with the metanephric blastema. A 21-year-old man was admitted with macroscopic hematuria and colic pain in the left flank region. Urinalysis demonstrated hematopyuria and excretory urography suggested bifid ending accessory ureter with a stone on the left side. Surgical exploration showed that the accessory ureter was bifurcated from the left ureter at about 5 mm from the bladder wall and ran parallel with the left ureter. Although dense adhesions to the surrounding tissue existed, the accessory ureter was resected at the site of the junction. It measured 3 cm in length and 1 cm in greatest diameter. The stone found at the tip of the accessory ureter was composed of calcium oxalate (24%) and calcium phosphate (76%). Histological examination revealed that the ureter had all layers of normal ureteral structure and no renal tissue was identified in the specimen resected. During a follow-up period of 22 months after the operation, he was free of urinary tract infection and abdominal pain. Of 77 cases with blind ending bifid ureter reported in the Japanese literature, a ureteral stone was found in the blind branch in only 5 cases.