Background
Ureteral spatulation, the first ureteral suture, and double-J stenting may be challenging and time-consuming in laparoscopic pyeloplasty, especially in small children. We aimed to present our comparative results of the extracorporeal ureteral spatulation, suturing, and stenting (EUSSS) technique in mini-laparoscopic pyeloplasty (MLP) and the conventional intracorporeal technique in prepubertal children.
Methods
The data of 46 prepubertal pediatric patients (< 12 years) who underwent laparoscopic pyeloplasty by a single surgeon between January 2021 and October 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided into two groups: who underwent EUSSS-MLP (Group-1,
n
= 26) and who underwent conventional intracorporeal pyeloplasty (Group-2,
n
= 20).
Results
The mean age of all patients was 5.3 years (4.8 ± 2.8 years in Group-1 and 6.0 ± 2.1 years in Group-2
p
= 0.126). The mean duration of ureteral preparation plus double-J stenting was 5.7 ± 1.6 min in Group-1 and 19.2 ± 4.1 min in Group-2 (
p
< 0.0001). The mean duration of surgery was statistically significantly higher in Group-2 (
p
= 0.034). There was no significant difference in terms of postoperative complications (
p
= 0.482). Laparoscopic pyeloplasty was successful in 42 (91.3%) patients, with no statistically significant difference between the two groups (Group-1: 24 (92.3%), Group-2:18 (90%),
p
= 0.783).
Conclusion
Extracorporeal ureteral preparation and double-J stenting can be safely and effectively preferred in MLP for prepubertal children.