A method for the treatment of ureteric complications following renal transplantation

Over an 8-year period, 117 renal transplants (97 cadaveric and 20 living related) were performed at the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia. Ureteric complications following renal transplantation occurred following seven transplants (6%). The technique of using a multiply fenestrated vesicocutaneous stent/drain to manage this problem is described. This was uncomplicated in all cases with the exception of one case in which the stent/drain was removed early because of blockage and sepsis, but most importantly on no occasion was the graft lost. We therefore recommend this technique for the management of this complication, whether early or late. We observed a disproportionate number of ureteric complications in living related transplants, a feature not described previously.