Endourological treatment of ectopic ureterocele. Our experience in the last 15 years

To assess the efficacy of the endourological treatment of ectopic ureterocele in children in a large series and with a long-term follow-up.

A retrospective, descriptive study of patients with ectopic ureterocele who had undergone surgery in our institution in the last 15 years was carried out. All patients were treated using an endourological approach, both for ureterocele and postoperative vesicoureteral reflux (VUR).

40 patients were treated -55% with left involvement and 5% with bilateral involvement. Mean age at diagnosis was 4.97 months, with diagnosis being established prenatally in 54.1% of cases. In all patients but one, endourological puncture of the ureterocele was conducted. Mean age at surgery was 6.96 months (0-1.11). Surgery was performed on an outpatient basis in 94.9% of patients. No perioperative complications were recorded. In the last 30 patients, preoperative voiding cystourethrography was not carried out. 72.5% of patients had postoperative VUR (44.8% into the upper pyelon, 10.3% into the lower pyelon, 17.2% into both, 6.9% into the contralateral system, and 20.7% into the bilateral system), but it was resolved with a single endoscopic procedure in 48.1% of cases (65% of patients were healed with two procedures). VUR was not endoscopically resolved in 3 patients who required ureteral re-implantation. 6 patients required heminephrectomy (n=3) or nephrectomy (n=3) as a result of functional impairment and infections.

The endourological treatment of ectopic ureterocele is a little aggressive and little invasive technique that allows the obstruction to be resolved on an outpatient basis, which means bladder surgery -if required- can be performed outside the neonatal period.