Ultrasonic diagnosis of ureteral injury after laparoscopically-assisted vaginal hysterectomy

Iatrogenic Ureteral Injury as a Complication of Posterior or Lateral Lumbar Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review of the Literature

OBJECTIVE

Iatrogenic ureteral injury associated with lumbar spine surgery is an uncommon but devastating complication with associated medicolegal implications.

METHODS

We performed a systematic review of the English language literature published between 1954 and 2019, accessed through 4 popular databases. We found 44 articles (28 case reports, 9 case-based reviews, 4 case series, 1 original article, 1 case illustration, and 1 pictorial) containing 46 cases of ureteral injuries after posterior or lateral lumbar spine surgery.

RESULTS

Except for 5 cases with insufficient data, 24 of the remaining 41 patients were female and 17 were male, with ages ranging from 16 years to 83 years. Excluding 4 cases without enough information, initial diagnoses of lumbar disc herniation (n = 33) or lumbar spinal stenosis (n = 4), spondylolisthesis (n = 3), degenerative disc disease (n = 1), and failed back surgery syndrome (n = 1) were reported from 18 countries; 54% of patients were from the United States, Japan, or Turkey. The interval from spinal surgery to restorative surgery ranged from <24 hours to 1 month to 1 year; in 48% of patients, it was >1 week, and 90% of patients recovered completely. Initial surgery was combined with vascular injury in 15% of patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Ureteral injury associated with lumbar spine surgery is overreported in developed or developing countries. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any patient who presents with symptoms of acute abdomen after lumbar spine surgery, and patients who underwent restorative surgery had a good prognosis.

Diagnosis and treatment of acute urogenital and genitalia tract traumas: 10-year clinical experience

Objective:

To report our 10-year diagnosis and treatment experience of acute urogenital and genitalia tract traumas and outline the management of the traumatic injury.

Methods:

We reviewed the diagnoses and treatments of 208 cases of acute kidney, ureter, bladder, urethra, or male genitalia injuries in our department between March 2002 and March 2012. The patient data including general information, injury position and mechanism, diagnosis and treatment, the follow-up information was analyzed and summarized.

Results:

Of 62 patients with renal injury examined by ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) examination, 45 were treated conservatively, 9 with superselective arterial embolization, and 8 with nephrectomy. Intravenous pyelogram (IVP) was conducted in two patients with ureteral injury, one was treated with cystoscopic ureteral catheterization and the other with ureteric reimplantation. Bladder injury (6 patients) confirmed with a waterflood susceptibility test combined with CT scans underwent laparotomy and the bladder suturing was done. Of 92 patients with urethral injury, 6 were treated with a nonoperative approach (indwelling catheter), 18 with urethral realignment, 35 with cystoscopic urethral realignment, 29 with end-to-end anastomotic urethroplasty, and 4 with urethral repairmen. Of the 24 cases with penile injuries, 1 underwent conservative treatment, 8 were treated with debridement and suture ligation, and 15 were managed with suture repair of the penis white membrane. Of the 24 cases with penile injuries, 1 underwent conservative treatment, 8 were treated with debridement and suture ligation, and 15 were managed with suture repair of the penis white membrane. During the follow-up period, 62 patients with renal injury had normal renal function. Neither of the two patients with ureteral injury developed hydronephrosis. Twenty-nine patients with urethral injury suffered from urethral structure. All patients with vesical or genital injury recovered.

Conclusions:

Urethra and kidney injuries are the most common acute urogenital system traumas. Superselective arterial embolization can effectively cease bleeding and maximally protect renal function and ureterorenoscopic realignment is an easily operative and minimally invasive technique in the treatment of urethral injuries. As diagnosis and treatment techniques continue to evolve, minimally invasive procedures should be widely used in acute urogenital trauma.

Ureteric injury: a challenging condition to diagnose and manage. Nat Rev Urol. 2013;10:108-115. [PMID: 23318355 DOI: 10.1038/nrurol.2012.254]

Although ureteric injury is relatively uncommon, it is a serious event that can result in intra-abdominal sepsis, renal failure, and loss of the ipsilateral renal unit. Most injuries are iatrogenic and remain undiagnosed until the patient presents with symptoms postoperatively. In addition to compromising patient safety, missed ureteric injuries frequently result in litigation. Over the past 20 years, there has been a rapid uptake of laparoscopic and robotic techniques within urology and other surgical specialties. This trend, coupled with increased use of ureteroscopy, has increased the risk of injury to the ureter. The key to diagnosing and managing a ureteric injury is to have a low threshold for suspecting its presence. Diagnosis can be achieved using retrograde pyelography, ureteroscopy, CT, or intravenous urography. Initial management should involve ureteric stent placement or percutaneous nephrostomy drainage. In selected patients, surgical reconstruction might be the optimal approach. Decisions regarding surgical technique (open, laparoscopic, or robotic) are guided by the clinical situation and surgical expertise available.