Removal of a Foley catheter misplaced into the ureter by percutaneous puncture: a rare case report

Abstract

Background The incidence of aberrant catheterization into a ureter is extremely low, and there is a 20% chance that the balloon cannot be deflated. Regrettably, the mechanism underlying this complication remains unknown. There has been no reported case of a Foley catheter successfully removed from the ureter via percutaneous puncture. Case presentation A 86-year-old man complained of increasing abdominal pain after an 18F Foley catheter was inserted into his urethra. His attending physician attempted but failed to deflate the balloon. A bedside ultrasound and CT scan revealed that the catheter tip was in the right lower ureter. Several measures, including cutting the catheter and inserting a rigid guidewire, were then attempted but failed to deflate the balloon. Finally, the inflated balloon was punctured with a PTC needle under ultrasound-guidance, and the misplaced Foley catheter was removed. Two days after the pelvic drainage tube was removed, the patient was discharged. Conclusion This is the first reported case of a Foley catheter being removed from the ureter via percutaneous puncture. The mechanism by which the balloon is unable to deflate may be related to the passive twist of the catheter. In such a case, an overall assessment of the patient's condition should be performed, and non-invasive to invasive interventions should be phased in.

Inappropriate placement of urinary catheters into the ureter: A case report and literature review

“…The details of these cases are listed in Table 1. [6–44] Patient demographics and clinical characteristics are summarized in Tables 2 and 3.…”

Misplaced Urinary Catheter in the Ectopic Ureter in a Female With Previously Undiagnosed Duplex Ureter: A Rare Case

“…Only 26 cases of ureteric catheterization are reported within the literature as late as 2022 [ 9 ]. More rarely, only two cases of them are described in the duplicated pelvicalyceal system [ 10 , 11 ].…”