Intracorporeal ileal ureter replacement using laparoscopy and robotics.

Background: Ileal ureter is a suitable treatment option for patients with long ureteric strictures. Minimally invasive techniques have been shown to be as safe as open techniques but superior in terms of post-operative recovery. We report our experience using minimally invasive techniques for total intracorporeal ureteral replacement.

Methods: A chart review revealed five patients who underwent intracorporeal ileal ureter using minimally invasive techniques in the preceding 5 years. 4 patients underwent conventional laparoscopic surgery and 1 patient underwent robotic-assisted surgery. Patient's characteristics, perioperative data and functional outcomes as well as a detailed description of surgical technique are reported. In all 5 of these patients, the ileal ureter was performed completely intracorporeally.

Results: The median age of our patients is 61 (range 42-73). The median operative time was 250 minutes (range 150-320) and median blood loss was 100 ml (range 50-200). The median hospital stay was 8 days (range 6-10) and there were no major perioperative complications reported. At median follow up of 22 months (range 4-38), there were no recurrences of strictures or any other complications.

Conclusions: We have demonstrated the safety and feasibility of minimally invasive intracorporeal ileal ureter. Numbers are still small but its application is likely to grow further.