Retrospective study of ureteral obstruction following vascular bypass surgery.

Although several cases of ureteral obstruction after vascular bypass surgery for aortoiliac disease have been reported, the incidence of this potentially critical complication has not been established. In this study, 57 selected patients who had undergone vascular bypass surgery were examined with ultrasound for evidence of ureteral obstruction. Hydronephrosis was discovered in 1 of 57 patients (1.75 per cent) over-all (symptomatic and asymptomatic); no evidence of obstruction was found in the asymptomatic patients. These results fail to corroborate the impression of several investigators that undetected ureteral obstruction may be present in a significant number of patients after vascular bypass surgery.