[Surgical technique for extravesical vesicoureteral neoimplantation].

OBJECTIVES: The uneven relationship between length and diameter of the intramural ureter is essential for the development of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). Surgical treatment should reconstruct that relationship. Several surgical techniques have been described to achieve this objective. After more than 30 years of experience, in our hands the Lich-Gregoir extra vesicoureteral reimplantation technique shows excellent results. We describe the technique step-by-step, emphasizing the modifications introduced, also in its laparoscopic version.

METHODS: The Lich-Gregoir extravesical ureteral reimplantation technique is completely described, reinforcing those technical details allowing the achievement of better results. We comment on the technical variations in the laparoscopic version. We also perform a retrospective review of the clinical records and imaging tests in patients who underwent vesicoureteral reimplantation in the period between 1974-2006 in the Hospital de Niños Dr. Exequiel Gonzalez Cortés.

INCLUSION CRITERIA: patients with primary VUR in which Lich-Gregoir extravesical ureteral reimplantation technique was performed. Secondary de VUR was excluded. We registered age, gender, radiological grade, bilateralism, surgical time, and development of complications such as persistent reflux, contralateral reflux, postoperative urinary tract infection, urinary retention, postoperative obstruction, reoperation, the degree of renal insufficiency, and long-term followup.

RESULTS: Over the 33 years of the study period there were 267 patients with primary VUR who required surgery. 379 ureters were reimplanted in an extravesical fashion, 112 (42%) corresponded to bilateral VUR. Mean age at the time of surgery was 4 years (from three months to 16 years); 156 patients (58%) were girls and 111 boys (42%). All patients presented primary VUR, and 63% of them were high grade (grades IV-V). All ureters were reimplanted without modelling in a mean surgical time of 62 minutes for the open technique. After a mean follow-up of two years (2 months-5.5 yr.) 7% of the patients have presented complications. Our reoperation rate is 1.3%. There was not any postoperative urinary retention. Our success rate for VUR resolution with this technique is 98.5%.

CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results the the authors think that extravesical ureteral reimplantation following the Lich-Gregoir technique is safe, simple, technically reproducible, efficient, and with a low morbidity to resolve primary unilateral and bilateral primary VUR.