Surgical treatment of the massively dilated ureter in children. Part I. management by cutaneous ureterostomy.

One of the major therapeutic challenges facing the pediatric urologist is the massively dilated ureter. When conservative measures, such as relief of obstruction or treatment of infection, have failed or are likely to fail, surgical treatment must be directed at the massive dilatation itself. These circumstances were encountered in 366 massively dilated ureters in 244 children during a 10-year period. Loop and/or terminal cutaneous ureterostomy was used to manage 125 of these ureters in 74 children. Indications for temporary non-intubated proximal urinary diversion included uncontrolled infection, sepsis, azotemia, significant ureteral redundancy and tortuosity, and questionable over-all renal function. Advantages of loop ureterostomy included more proximal drainage and less stomal problems but terminal ureterostomy required a significantly lesser number of surgical procedures in reconstructing the urinary tract. Temporary splinting of the ureter in dry ureteral reimplantations has diminished markedly the incidence of ureterovesical complications. No instances of permanent vesical contracture were noted after long periods of defunctionalization. After initial reconstruction of 47 cutaneous ureterostomies good results by all parameters were obtained in 68 per cent. Additional surgical procedures in selected initial failures have resulted in a final success rate of 85 per cent.