Ureteral complications with operative gynecologic laparoscopy

Digital anatomic study of the ureter relative to bifurcation of the common iliac artery in females

INTRODUCTION

Laparoscopic salpingo-oophorectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy place the ureter at risk. Although traditional anatomic studies indicate that ureters generally cross over the common iliac artery in the pelvic inlet, the view is often different during surgery. Hence, digital three-dimensional models have been utilized to solve this conundrum. Our study aimed to evaluate the anatomic relation between the iliac artery and the ureter in the pelvic inlet.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A medical image processing system processed data collected from 129 female patients, and digital 3D models of the iliac artery and ureter were used to study their anatomic relation. Left- and right-side data were compared using Pearson's χ² analysis.

RESULTS

Two different anatomic relations were found immediately posterior to the ureter: Common iliac arteries were present in 33.2% and external iliac arteries in 76.8%. The mean distances from the point at which the ureter crossed over the iliac artery until the bifurcation of the artery was 8.8 ± 12.2 mm in the left pelvis and 12.4 ± 10.8 mm in the right pelvis - different from that of the traditional anatomic study.

CONCLUSION

In the future, these models and digital anatomical data could help avoid surgical complications.

Coming to terms with the fact that the evidence for laparoscopic entry is as good as it gets

Entry to the peritoneal cavity for laparoscopic surgery is associated with defined morbidity, with all entry techniques associated with substantial complications. Debate over the safest entry technique has raged over the last 2 decades, and yet, we are no closer to arriving at a scientifically valid conclusion regarding technique superiority. With hundreds of thousands of patients required to perform adequately powered studies, it is unlikely that appropriately powered comparative studies could be undertaken. This review examines the risk of complications related to laparoscopic entry, current statements from examining bodies around the world, and the medicolegal ramifications of laparoscopic entry complications. Because of the numbers required for any complications study, with regard to arriving at an evidence-based decision for laparoscopic entry, we ask: is the current literature perhaps as good as it gets?

Challenging and complex decisions in the management of the BRCA mutation carrier

Women afflicted by the hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome face complex decisions regarding medical interventions aimed at reducing their risk of ovarian and breast cancer, interventions which in turn may interfere with their fertility and cause early menopause. This review addresses selected topics of importance and controversy in the management of the BRCA mutation carrier, such as psychological well-being and quality of life, breast and ovarian cancer screening, risk-reducing interventions for breast cancer and ovarian cancer, the issue of hysterectomy at the time of the risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy, health consequences of early surgical menopause, and safety of hormonal therapy after oophorectomy. The information presented is based on an extensive review of the literature on the selected topics and on the expertise of our multidisciplinary team.

Perioperative outcomes using LigaSure™ compared to conventional bipolar instruments in laparoscopic salpingo-oophorectomy: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of LigaSure™ versus conventional bipolar techniques on operating time and blood loss during laparoscopic salpingo-oophorectomy in a randomized controlled trial.

METHODS

In three teaching hospitals, 100 women undergoing a laparoscopic salpingo-oophorectomy were randomized for LigaSure or conventional bipolar instruments. Primary outcome was operating time (from initial skin incision to removal of the specimen). Secondary outcome measures were total operating time (from initial skin incision to skin closure), time to dissect the ovarian and infundibulopelvic ligaments, intraoperative blood loss, and subjective judgment of the instrument used.

RESULTS

There were no differences in operating time and total operating time using LigaSure versus conventional bipolar instruments: 41.0 vs. 39.2 min (p = 0.78; 95 % CI = -10.9 to 14.5) and 54.6 vs. 58.6 min (p = 0.46; 95 % CI = -14.8 to 6.8), respectively. The mean blood loss using LigaSure versus conventional bipolar instruments was 38 vs. 33 mL (p = 0.73; 95 % CI = -22.7 to 32.2). Various subjective efficacy and instrument handling parameters of the two instruments varied among participating centers.

CONCLUSION

There were no significant differences in operating time and blood loss with the use of LigaSure compared to conventional bipolar instruments during laparoscopic salpingo-oophorectomy, even after correction for potential confounders.

Urinary tract injury during hysterectomy based on universal cystoscopy

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the incidence and location of injury to the urinary tract during hysterectomy for benign gynecologic disease.

METHODS

This was a prospective clinical study in an academic environment performed at three sites. Diagnostic cystourethroscopy was performed on all patients after hysterectomy for benign disease.

RESULTS

Eight hundred thirty-nine patients were enrolled. The incidence of urinary tract injury associated with hysterectomy for benign disease was 4.3% (39 of 839 cases). The rate of bladder injury was 2.9% (24 of 839 cases), and rate of ureteral injury was 1.8% (15 of 839 cases). There were three cases of simultaneous bladder and ureteral injuries, resulting in a cumulative injury rate of 4.3%. The injury detection rate using intraoperative diagnostic cystoscopy was 97.4% (817 of 839 cases). The most common site of injury to the ureter was at the junction of the ureter and the uterine artery in 80% (12 of 15 cases) of ureteral injuries. Transection and kinking injuries were the most frequent type of injury. There were 21 cases of subnormal dye efflux from the ureteral orifices, with no subsequent injury detected on further evaluation.

CONCLUSION

Ureteral injury occurred most commonly at the level of the uterine artery, and transection and kinking injuries were most frequent. Diminished dye efflux from ureteral orifices was not associated with injury.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

III.

Ureteral catheter placement for prevention of ureteral injury during laparoscopic hysterectomy

AIM

Ureteral injury is among the most devastating complications of gynecologic surgery. Estimated incidence of ureteral injury during laparoscopic hysterectomy is 2.6-35 times (0.2-6.0%) that in abdominal hysterectomy. We investigated preoperative ureteral catheter (UC) placement as a way to prevent ureteral injury in laparoscopic hysterectomy.

METHODS

Clinical records of 94 women who underwent laparoscopic hysterectomy between February 2006 and January 2007 in Yazaki Hospital, Kanagawa, Japan, were reviewed retrospectively. Thirty-four patients between February and June 2006 underwent the surgery without ureteral catheterization and 60 patients between July 2006 and January 2007 underwent surgery with ureteral catheterization. Clinical outcomes were statistically compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

The average time required for catheter insertion was 9.35 min. The ureter in which the catheter was placed was visualized clearly. In one patient, whose left ureter was deviated by a massive myoma, catheter insertion was not possible. No complications arose from catheter placement except for minor complaints including low back pain, urinary discomfort, and transient hematuria. While one injury occurred in a patient without ureteral catheterization (1/34), no ureteral injury occurred in any patient with ureteral catheterization (0/60). Operative time, total blood loss, and hospital stay were not significantly different between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

UC placement is simple, helping to prevent ureteral injury during laparoscopic hysterectomy and enhancing safety of this procedure.

A diagnostically challenging case of ureterovaginal fistula after laparoscopic hysterectomy

A complicated case of iatrogenic ureterovaginal fistula in a 56-year-old woman after laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy, which persisted after several attempts of repair including ureterocystoneostomy, is presented. Accurate radiologic work-up enabled us to identify a refluxing ureteral stump, which was not ligated at the time of ureterocystoneostomy, as the origin of urinary leakage. Surgical principles that should be adhered to when managing such complex cases to obtain successful long-lasting outcome are described.

Iatrogenic ureteral lesions and repair: a review for gynecologists

Ureter injuries are a well-known complication of gynecologic surgery and a frequent cause of medicolegal problems. Because there are no randomized, controlled trials and the available studies are small series and case reports, the evidence on which to base treatment is weak. We therefore reviewed the complete English-language literature of ureter repair since 1990. In total, 608 ureter injuries were reported. Although it is widely believed that for laceration or section the prognosis is affected by a delay in diagnosis, we could not find evidence to substantiate this. An obstruction requires stenting only. For a laceration, stenting with suturing was more effective than stenting only (p = .006). A ureter anastomosis was successful in over 94% of cases either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. In conclusion, the literature data are scanty and heterogeneous and do not permit solid conclusions. Evidence, however, is emerging that a laceration should be treated by stenting and suturing. A ureter anastomosis over a stent could become a valid option especially when performed by laparoscopy.

Ureteroscopy: Savior to the gynecologist?—Ureteroscopic management of post laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy ureterovaginal fistulas

Iatrogenic ureteral injuries are among the most serious complications in gynecologic surgery. With the increasing popularity of laparoscopic gynecologic surgery, the incidence of ureteral injuries is on the rise. We report 2 cases of post laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy (post LAVH) ureterovaginal fistulas, which were managed successfully with retrograde stenting using ureteroscopy. Three middle-aged women who underwent LAVH for symptomatic myomas of the uterus presented with ureterovaginal fistulas in the late postoperative period. Excretory urography revealed ureterovaginal fistulas involving the distal ureter. Retrograde stenting was possible in 2 patients, using a 7.5F rigid ureteroscope. Both patients became continent 2 days after surgery. Urography at 6 weeks revealed normal renal function without obstruction or extravasation of urine, and the stents were removed. Stenting failed in the third patient; the patient underwent a ureteric reimplantation successfully. Post LAVH ureterovaginal fistulas are amenable to ureteroscopic retrograde double-J stenting, which enables spontaneous recovery of the injured ureter. An attempt of ureteroscopic stenting should be considered in all patients with post LAVH ureterovaginal fistulas before subjecting them to other modalities.

The detection of ureteral injuries after hysterectomy

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To identify the incidence and outcomes of ureteral injuries in patients undergoing hysterectomy, and to evaluate the effect of intraoperative cystoscopy and early postoperative ureteral jet ultrasonography.

DESIGN

Retrospective comparative study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2).

SETTING

Tertiary medical center.

PATIENTS

Fifteen patients who experienced ureteral injuries while undergoing hysterectomy out of 4950 total patients during a 6-year period.

INTERVENTIONS

All patients underwent hysterectomy, and intraoperative cystoscopy or early postoperative ureteral jet ultrasonography were used to evaluate ureteral integrity.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

The incidence of ureteral injury recognized after hysterectomy was 0.32%, and all ureteral injuries occurred during laparoscopic hysterectomy. The initial detection of ureteral injury resulted from intraoperative cystoscopy in five patients, early postoperative ureteral jet ultrasonography in two patients, and signs and symptoms in eight patients. The patients whose injuries were detected by either intraoperative cystoscopy or early postoperative ureteral jet ultrasonography were diagnosed earlier (1.7 and 19.9 postoperative days, respectively; p<.01) and tended toward more conservative treatment (p=.119; OR=10; 95% CI 0.78-128.78) than those who were diagnosed based on signs and symptoms alone.

CONCLUSIONS

Use of intraoperative cystoscopy or early postoperative ureteral jet ultrasonography leads to earlier diagnosis of posthysterectomy ureteral injury, thereby allowing for more conservative treatment.

Harnleitertrauma

The most common cause of iatrogenic injuries to the ureter (75%) is a gynecological or surgical pelvic procedure. The diagnosis of ureteral injuries is delayed in 66% (after days or weeks). Lack of hematuria is an unreliable sign to exclude injury, since 30% of all ureteral injuries do not even demonstrate microscopic hematuria or classic clinical symptoms and signs. In view of this, the diagnosis must be one of suspicion and further evaluations are mandatory in all cases of penetrating or blunt abdominal injuries. The most accurate diagnostic tools are CT scan with delayed excretory images and retrograde ureterography, which can also be used to guide stent placement. Low-grade injuries can be sufficiently treated with urinary diversion by PCN drainage or endoscopic ureteric stenting. The treatment of high-grade injuries depends on the localization and extent of the damage. The principles of repair include débridement, spatulation, lack of tension, stenting, postoperative drainage, and a watertight anastomosis with fine nonreactive absorbable suture. A delay in diagnosis is the most important factor contributing to the morbidity of ureteric injuries, and early treatment can reduce the complication rate to below 5%.

A Simple Procedure for the Prevention of Ureteral Injury in Laparoscopic-Assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To introduce a surgical technique to minimize the chance of ureteral injury during laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH).

DESIGN

Retrospective case review (Canadian Task Force classification II-3).

SETTING

Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan.

PATIENTS

Two thousand and six women who underwent LAVH between January 1992 and June 2001.

INTERVENTION

A simple step of creating a "window" over the anterior and posterior broad ligaments to push inferolaterally the areolar tissue (in which the ureter is embedded) on the posterior broad ligament.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

No ureteral injury occurred in patients whose cases were reviewed. There were, however, five bladder injuries (0.25%) and three nerve pareses (0.15%). Other minor complications, including fever, abscess or hematoma of the vaginal cuff, subcutaneous emphysema, and delayed vaginal cuff bleeding, occurred in less than 5% of patients.

CONCLUSION

The technique proposed is simple and very effective in preventing ureteral injury during LAVH.

Accuracy of cystoscopy in the diagnosis of ureteral injury in benign gynecologic surgery

Our objective was to review our experience and attempt to identify risk factors for ureteral injury during gynecologic surgery for benign conditions. A retrospective chart review was performed of all cases of ureteral injury during gynecologic surgery for benign conditions, at Temple University Hospital, from January 1992 to September 2002. We analyzed hospital records to determine whether the injury was diagnosed intraoperatively, with postprocedure cystoscopy, or if cystoscopy was ineffective in diagnosing the injury. There were nine ureteral injuries during the study period. Of these, two were diagnosed during the procedure, two were discovered by immediate postprocedure cystoscopy, and the other five were discovered during the postoperative period. Of these five, three patients had immediate postprocedure cystoscopy and the injuries were not detected. Risk factors associated with ureteral injury included: a large uterus (5), high-grade cystocele (3), ectopic insertion of the ureter into the bladder (1), and previous surgeries (4). Our conclusion was that negative cystoscopy cannot be solely relied on to rule out ureteral injury, as cases with partial obstruction and ureteral patency can be missed.

Avoiding complications of laparoscopic surgery

No matter how skilled the surgeon, the risk of complications always exists. Complications of laparoscopic surgery include anesthesia difficulties, positioning and nerve injuries, injuries due to insertion of needles and trocars, and intraoperative vascular, bowel, and urinary tract injuries. Injuries from electrosurgical equipment may also result. This article focuses on preventing such complications.

[Value of ureteral catheterization in laparoscopy]

OBJECTIVE

Describe indications and procedures of ureteral retrograde catheter placement in operative laparoscopy. Assess the security that allows this technique to avoid or detect ureteral injury.

STUDY DESIGN

A cohort study over a five year period was performed on 1722 patients who underwent an operative gynecologic laparoscopy.

SURGICAL TECHNIQUE

When presumptive evidence of ureter adhesiolysis (dense adhesions from previous surgery, endometriosis), or suspicion of iatrogenic ureter transection, laparoscopic procedure was interrupted. A cystoscopy was performed and an internalized stent was inserted.

RESULTS

In nine cases (preventive indications), patients required this procedure in adnexal surgery (dense adhesions from previous operations endometriosis), in oophorectomy for residual ovary syndrome and ovarian remnant syndrome and in hysterectomy with an intraligamentary leiomyomata. In one case (diagnostic indication), ureteral catheter placement was performed after use of an endoscopic linear stapler during a laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy.

CONCLUSION

This intra-operative procedure can allow better ureter recognition and its safe dissection when complex operative laparoscopy is foreseen.

Ureterovaginal fistulas complicating laparoscopic hysterectomy: a report of two cases

Three ureterovaginal fistulas occurred following laparoscopic hysterectomy in two patients. Inadvertent burn of the distal ureter by a unipolar electrocautery was thought to be the cause. Avoidance of unipolar cautery to achieve hemostasis of uterine arteries would have prevented these urologic complications.

Ultrasonic diagnosis of ureteral injury after laparoscopically-assisted vaginal hysterectomy

Ureteral injuries are uncommon but serious complications of laparoscopically-assisted vaginal hysterectomy. The ureter is particularly at risk for inadvertent injury when the cardinal-uterosacral ligament complex is coagulated and divided below the uterine vessels. We present two recent cases which describe the application of transabdominal ultrasound including color Doppler mapping in the diagnosis of ureteral injury after laparoscopically-assisted vaginal hysterectomy. Transabdominal ultrasound including color Doppler mapping has great diagnostic potential as a method for non-invasive evaluation of post-operative ureteral conditions. Ultrasonic triads (absence of a ureteric jet, ascites, and the presence or absence of hydronephrosis) are capable of differentiating diagnosis of complete, partial, or nonobstructive surgical ureteral injuries.

Prophylactic oophorectomy: clinical considerations

Ovarian cancer usually remains clinically silent until it is far advanced, and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In view of the modest impact of adjuvant treatments on survival, much effort is devoted to early detection programs and prevention strategies. However, the usefulness of early detection programs remains to be established, with only one randomized study indicating improved median survival in screened individuals. At present, oral contraceptives and prophylactic oophorectomy are the only options for prevention of ovarian cancer. Indications for prophylactic oophorectomy either as a primary procedure, or secondary to abdominal surgery, will vary according to the estimated risk, and to the individual's perception of that risk. Genetic screening allows better identification of pre-symptomatic individuals who would benefit the most from prophylactic oophorectomy. Data concerning the benefit of prophylactic surgery, and the safety of established or innovative hormone replacement therapies in individuals at risk, are encouraging.

Complications and long-term outcomes after adnexal surgery by laparotomy and laparoscopy

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To assess complications and subjective outcomes after adnexal surgery by laparotomy and laparoscopy.

DESIGN

Observational study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2).

SETTING

University-affiliated hospital.

PATIENTS

Two-hundred twenty-eight women requiring adnexal surgery for benign indications.

INTERVENTIONS

The 114 patients who underwent laparotomy and 114 having laparoscopy were followed prospectively for 1 year. Two questionnaire-based evaluations were undertaken to determine subjective outcomes. To evaluate possible later surgical procedures, hospital records were reviewed 4 years after operation.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

No major complications occurred in the laparotomy group. The two (1.8%) in the laparoscopy group were intestinal injury and aortal injury, both in women who had previously undergone laparotomy. Rates of minor complications were 11.4% for laparotomy and 7.0% for laparoscopy. Two patients in both groups were readmitted. No difference was found between groups in need for additional adnexal procedures up to 4 years after operation. After 1 year, frequencies of subjective complaints and satisfaction with surgical procedure did not differ significantly. Mean hospital cost per patient was less for laparoscopy than for laparotomy.

CONCLUSION

No statistically significant differences were seen after adnexal surgery by laparoscopy and laparotomy with regard to frequency of complications and subjective outcomes. Laparoscopy in women who have previously undergone laparotomy may be associated with a slightly greater risk of major complications than another laparotomy.

Urological trauma in gynaecological surgery: diagnosis and management

Lesions of the urinary tract being a rare, but typical, complication of gynaecological surgery need a skilled pelvic surgeon for prevention and, when they occur, knowledge of adequate techniques of repair or palliative solutions until final repair can take place. The increasing incidence of lesions of the urinary tract as a result of endoscopic surgery makes better training mandatory.