The Dilemma of Ureterovesical Junction Obstruction

Ureterovesical junction obstruction (UVJO) is the result of an anatomic or a functional abnormality in the distal segment of the ureter. There are many types of UVJO, different in their cause, presentation, imaging characters, and prognosis.
The aim of this study was to discuss the postoperative natural course and prognosis of patients undergoing standard approaches on the management of primary UVJO by one surgeon in a 10-year period starting from 2004.
From January 2004 to October 2013, 64 patients who underwent ureteral tapering and stenting ureteroneocystostomy for complicated primary UVJO participated in the study.
The mean age of patients was 26 years (range: 11 months to 73 years). The mean hospital stay was 5 days (range: 4 to 7 days). The post-operative time was between 1 and 2 hours. Double J stent was left in place for 4 weeks. Post-operative follow-up was at least one year. No major complication was encountered, instead, a decrease in symptoms in all patients and an increase in renal function in 40 out of 64 (62.5%) patients were observed in the one-year follow-up of the diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) renal scanning. Only 3 patients had fever as a postoperative minor complication.
Decision making in the treatment of UVJO is somewhat a dilemma. This condition is occasionally asymptomatic and uneventful, and may be detected accidentally during an unrelated work-up; nonetheless, it may also cause serious life threatening complications. Surgical management in complicated cases may be a safe and viable treatment option both in children and in adults.