Emergency Decompression of Obstructive Uropathy Using Percutaneous Nephrostomy: Disease Pattern and Treatment Outcome...

Obstructive uropathy (OU) is a potentially life-threatening urologic emergency that requires urgent decompression. Percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) is a commonly performed procedure to decompress OU. The objective of this study is to assess disease patterns and treatment outcome at two urologic centers in Ethiopia.

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 110 patients who underwent emergency PCN from October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020. Data were collected by a retrospective chart review. SPSS 25 was used for analysis. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were utilized to assess disease pattern and significant predictors. A p-value of <0.05 on multivariate logistic regression was considered statistically significant.

Females accounted for 70% of cases and mean age at presentation was 48 ± 12.9 years. Bilateral OU was diagnosed in 60% of patients and 77.3% of obstructions occurred at the level of the ureter. Malignancies were diagnosed in >80% of patients among which cervical cancer was the commonest (37.3%) followed by bladder cancer (17.3%). Acute kidney injury (AKI) accounted for 70% of the presenting indications for PCN. Success rate after emergency PCN was 75.5% and 41.8% of the cases developed post-procedure complications. Factors that predicted successful outcome include male gender [AOR = 5.72 (1.13-28.92), 95% CI; p = 0.035], severe hydronephrosis pre-operatively [AOR = 7.12 (1.32-38.45), 95% CI; p = 0.022], and use of combined imaging (ultrasound and fluoroscope) to guide PCN [AOR = 12.91 (1.13-46.54), 95% CI; p = 0.039]. On the other hand, postoperative complication is a negative predictor [AOR = 0.26 (0.08-0.86), 95% CI; p = 0.027].

In this study, overall success of emergency PCN is low. Presence of severe hydronephrosis predicts technical ease and better outcome of PCN. Procedures performed under ultrasound and fluoroscope guidance also improve outcome. Postoperative complication rate is high in this study and mandates strict preventive measures as it predicts unfavorable outcome.