Successful use of ovarian vein as a ureteral substitute for long-segment ureteral stricture post-pelvic radiotherapy: a case report.

Background: Long-segment ureteral stricture secondary to radiotherapy for female pelvic malignancies represents a severe complication, significantly impairing patients' renal function and quality of life. Despite the availability of multiple treatment modalities, this condition remains challenging to manage, with high recurrence rates and perioperative complication rates.

Case presentation: We report a 57-year-old female patient who underwent surgical treatment for cervical malignancy. After postoperative pelvic radiotherapy, the patient developed long-term left ureteral stricture. Both transurethral ureteral stenting and ureterocystostomy failed to achieve satisfactory results. Finally, the left ureter was successfully reconstructed using the ovarian vein. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful, and no ureteral fistula or restenosis occurred during the 3-year follow-up.

Conclusions: Although current evidence suggests that ovarian vein substitution for the ureter in treating radiation-induced long-segment ureteral stricture yields favorable prognosis at 3 years postoperatively, its long-term efficacy still requires further in-depth research.