Successful Multidisciplinary Repair of Severe Bilateral Uretero-Enteric Stricture with Inflammatory Reaction Extending to the Left Iliac Artery, after Robotic Radical Cystectomy and Intracorporeal Ileal Neobladder

Uretero-enteric anastomotic strictures (UES) after robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) represent the main cause of post-operative renal dysfunction. The gold standard for treatment of UES is open uretero-ileal reimplantation (UIR), which is often a challenging and complex procedure associated with significant morbidity. We report a challenging case of long severe bilateral UES (5 cm on the left side, 3 cm on the right side) after RARC in a 55 years old male patient who was previously treated in another institution and who came to our attention with kidney dysfunction and bilateral ureteral stents from the previous two years. Difficult multiple ureteral stent placement and substitutions had been previously performed in another hospital, with resulting urinary leakage. An open surgical procedure via an anterior transperitoneal approach was performed at our hospital, which took 10 h to complete, given the massive intestinal and periureteral adhesions, which required very meticulous dissection. A vascular surgeon was called to repair an accidental rupture that had occurred during the dissection of the external left iliac artery, involved in the extensive periureteral inflammatory process. Excision of a segment of the external iliac artery was accomplished, and an interposition graft using a reversed saphenous vein was performed. Bilateral ureteroneocystostomy followed, which required, on the left side, the interposition of a Casati-Boari flap harvested from the neobladder, and on the right side a neobladder-psoas-hitching procedure with intramucosal direct ureteral reimplantation. The patient recovered well and is currently in good health, as determined at his recent 24-month follow-up visit. No signs of relapse of the strictures or other complications were detected. Bilateral ureteral reimplantation after robotic radical cystectomy is a complex procedure that should be restricted to high-volume centers, where multidisciplinary teams are available, including urologists, endourologists, and general and vascular surgeons.

Experience of Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital in extravesical ureteral reimplantation for vesicoureteral reflux in pediatric patients

Objective: The most commonly used technique for vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) treatment in pediatric patients in Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital is extravesical ureteral reimplantation (EUR). This report describes our experience of clinical outcomes of this technique. Materials and Methods: A total of 30 children underwent EUR for unilateral and bilateral VUR between July 2007 and June 2015. We retrospectively reviewed their medical records. Patient characteristics, operative time, duration of catheter drainage, length of postoperative hospital stay, and perioperative complications were evaluated. Results: Twenty-two boys and 8 girls with a mean age of 4.4 years (range, 0.5-14.6) were included in the study. Reflux was graded 1 to 5. Fourteen unilateral and 16 bilateral procedures were performed. A Pfannenstiel incision was implemented in the first 20 cases and inguinal incision in the last 10 cases. Mean operative time was 115.5 minutes. Mean duration of catheter insertion was 5.7 days. Mean length of postoperative hospital stay was 6.1 days and mean estimated blood loss was 28.7 ml. Overall success rate was 90%. One patient (3.3%), developed a post- operative urinary tract infection, while 3 cases had persistent VUR after surgery. Acute urinary retention occurred in 1 patient (3.3%) on postoperative day 4 but following catheterization the patient was able to urinate by day 7. Conclusion: EUR for the treatment of VUR is a simple, safe, and effective procedure. The prevalence of postoperative urinary retention in bilateral reimplantation is low and transient. The inguinal approach is a viable option and as effective as classical procedures.

Intraoperative Problems and Solutions in Pneumovesicum Laparoscopic Cross-trigonal Ureteral Reimplantation in Children by a Beginner Surgeon

Objective: Many beginner surgeons feel anxious when first doing the procedure. Some may encounter many intraoperative difficulties or problems, resulting in abandoning the technique. We will demonstrate our methods and the solutions to major intraoperative problems.Materials and Methods: A beginner surgeon performed the operation on 13 children with VUR (20 ureters) who met the indications for surgery between October 2016 and August 2017. Age ranged from 2 to 7 years. Each operation comprised 2 main steps: anchoring the urinary bladder wall to the anterior abdominal wall under cystoscopic vision, followed by a cross-trigonal ureteral reimplantation under pneumovesicum laparoscopy. The intraoperative problems, postoperative care, and follow-up periods were recorded to identify surgical outcomes.Results: Most significant, intraoperative problems were air leakage, bleeding, tear of the bladder mucosa above the tunnel, and inability to insert a tube into the ureter pre- and post-reimplantation. Most problems could be managed. Only one case had to be converted to open reimplantation due to uncontrolled air leakage. Postoperatively, 2 patients had hydroureteronephrosis at 4 weeks, but it eventually spontaneously regressed. One patient had cystitis, treated with oral antibiotics. Between the 1-year and 4-year follow-up, no patients had hydroureteronephrosis or urinary tract infections (UTI).Conclusion: Pneumovesicum laparoscopic ureteral reimplantation is a feasible technique for beginner surgeons. Although many intraoperative problems may be encountered, most can be managed, resulting in the completion of the laparoscopic procedure.