Single ectopic ureter: diagnostic value of contrast vaginography

To present the diagnostic results of contrast vaginography to detect a vaginal ectopic ureter, in addition to investigation with ultrasonography, intravenous urography, and technetium-99m-dimercaptosuccinic acid renal scan. A single ectopic ureter is a rare anomaly.

Eighteen girls with a single ectopic ureter were treated at the Children's Hospital No. 1 from 1995 to August 2008. The diagnostic studies included ultrasonography, intravenous urography, renal scans, and, finally, vaginography with contrast if the renal scans could not detect the poorly functioning kidneys.

Intravenous urography showed a poorly functioning kidney in 1 patient. Another 10 poorly functioning kidneys were revealed by technetium-99m-dimercaptosuccinic acid renal scan, but 7 kidneys were not identifiable using contrast, ultrasonography, or radionuclide. Of these 7 patients, 6 vaginal ectopic ureters were detected using contrast vaginography. All 18 dysplastic kidneys were surgically removed.

The results of the study have demonstrated the satisfactory diagnostic value of vaginography as an imaging technique to detect the dysplastic kidney draining by a single ectopic ureter.