Acute mechanical dilation of the ureter: an experimental study

Forty-three kidney donor ureters were mechanically dilated in vitro with Van Buren sounds to an average of 21.2F. Thirty-three of these ureters, with an average pre-dilation diameter of 11.3F, could be dilated an additional average of 10.6F. The average dilated/nondilated diameter ratio in these ureters was 1.9. These experimental data suggest an undilated pelvic ureteral diameter and a manually dilated ureteral diameter of approximately the same size cited in the clinical literature.