Urologic complications following obstetric and gynecologic surgery

Urologic injuries occur frequently during surgery in the pelvic cavity. Inadequate diagnosis and treatment may lead to severe complications and side effects. This investigation examined the clinical features of urologic complications following obstetric and gynecologic surgery.

We accumulated 47,318 obstetric and gynecologic surgery cases from 2007 to 2011. Ninety-seven patients with urological complications were enrolled. This study assessed the causative disease and surgical approach, type, and treatment method of the urologic injury.

Of these 97 patients, 69 had bladder injury, 23 had ureteral injury, 2 had vesicovaginal fistula, 2 had ureterovaginal fistula, and 1 had renal injury. With respect to injury rate by specific surgery, laparoscopic-assisted radical vaginal hysterectomy was the highest with 3 of 98 cases, followed by radical abdominal hysterectomy with 15 of 539 cases. All 69 cases of bladder injury underwent primary suturing during surgery without complications. Of 14 cases with an early diagnosis of ureteral injury, 7 had a ureteral catheter inserted, 5 underwent ureteroureterostomy, and 2 underwent ureteroneocystostomy. Of nine cases with a delayed diagnosis of ureteral injury, ureteral catheter insertion was carried out in three cases, four cases underwent ureteroureterostomy, and two cases underwent ureteroneocystostomy.

Bladder injury was the most common urological injury during obstetric and gynecologic surgery, followed by ureteral injury. The variety of injured states, difficulty of diagnosis, and time to complete cure were much greater among patients with ureteral injuries. Early diagnosis and urologic intervention is important for better outcomes.