Urological complication following aortoiliac graft: case report and review of the literature

Abstract

CONTEXT: Ureteral stenosis and ureterohydronephrosis may be serious complications of aortoiliac or aortofemoral reconstructive surgery. CASE REPORT:A 62-year-old female patient presented with a six-month history of left lumbar pain. She was a smoker, and had mild chronic arterial hypertension and Takayasu arteritis. She had previously undergone three vascular interventions. In two procedures, Dacron prostheses were necessary. Excretory urography showed moderate left ureterohydronephrosis and revealed a filling defect in the ureter close to where the iliac vessels cross. This finding was compatible with ureteral stenosis, and the aortoiliac graft may have been the reason for this inflammatory process. The patient underwent laparotomy, which showed that there was a relationship between the ureteral stenosis and the vascular prosthesis.Segmental ureterectomy and end-to-end ureteroplasty with the ureter crossing over the prosthesis anteriorly were performed. There were no complications. The early and late postoperative periods were uneventful. The patient evolved well and the results from a new excretory urogram were normal. We concluded that symptomatic ureterohydronephrosis following aortoiliac graft is a real complication and needs to be quickly diagnosed and treated by urologists. RESUMO INTRODUÇÃO:Estenose ureteral e ureterohidronefrose podem ser sérias complicações da cirurgia reconstrutiva aorto-femoral ou aorto-ilíaca. RELATO DE CASO:Uma paciente de 62 anos apresentou-se referindo história de dor lombar a esquerda há seis meses. Ela era fumante, portadora de hipertensão arterial crônica leve e arterite de Takayasu. Havia sido submetida a três intervenções vasculares. Em dois procedimentos o uso de prótese de Dacron foi necessário. Uma urografia excretora revelou moderada ureterohidronefrose à esquerda e falha de enchimento no ureter próximo ao cruzamento dos vasos ilíacos. Esse achado era compatível com uma estenose ureteral e o enxerto aorto-ilíaco poderia ser a causa do processo inflamatório. A paciente foi submetida a laparotomia, que evidenciou a relação entre estenose ureteral e a prótese vascular. Ureterectomia segmentar e uretroplastia término-terminal com o ureter passando anteriormente à prótese foram realizadas. Não ocorreram complicações. Os períodos de pós-operatório precoce e tardio transcorreram sem intercorrências. A paciente evoluiu bem e uma nova urografia excretora apresenta-se normal. Concluímos que ureterohidronefrose sintomática após enxerto aorto-ilíaco é uma complicação real e precisa ser rapidamente diagnosticada e tratada pelo urologista.

Ureteric foreign body following previous aorto-iliac graft

“…4 Furthermore, there have been several reports of hydronephrosis following vascular grafting. 5 We report what we believe is the first case of an obstructing ureteric foreign body following previous aortoiliac grafting.…”

“…5 All of these reported ureteric stenosis, external compression or retroperitoneal fibrosis as the cause for ureteric obstruction. No ureteric foreign bodies following vascular grafting have been previously described.…”