Evaluation of management of ureteroceles in our clinic: 8 years of experience.

Objective: We aimed to investigate patients who were managed and followed up in our clinic for ureteroceles.

Method: We retrospectively analyzed 52 patients' records with ureterocele diagnoses who were treated at the Pediatric Surgery Clinic of the Medical School of Dicle University between January 2009 and December 2017.

Results: Of the patients 29 were female and 23 were male. Thirty-six patients had left-sided ureteroceles, 12 had right-sided ureteroceles, and four had bilateral ureteroceles. Thirty-three were intravesical and 19 were ectopically located. Twenty-seven were on a duplex system. Ureterocele was diagnosed antenatally in 12 patients and 21 in the first 6 months of the post-natal period. Ultrasonography was the most common diagnostic method. Urinary infection was the most frequent symptom (38.4%). Except for a patient who received conservative follow-up, all ureteroceles were decompressed. Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), urinary tract infection (UTI), and renal scarring were all significantly higher in patients with the duplex system. Significantly decreased UTI rates were observed in early-diagnosed patients (p = 0.04).

Conclusion: Ureterocele is still a challenging problem due to the high risk of UTI, VUR, and renal scarring. Endoscopic decompression is the most preferable intervention for ureteroceles. UTI and renal scarring could be decreased with early detection and treatment.