Catheter-Free Ureteral Reimplantation in Children

Kim, Hee Soo; Kim, Kwang Sae

Abstract

We reviewed medical records of 32 children with vesicoureteral reflux who underwent ureteral reimplantation by Cohen technique. Between January 1990 and December 1993, 21 patients were managed with ureteral catheters and suprapubic tubes during the initial postoperative period (group A), whereas between January 1994 and June 1995, 11 consecutive patients were managed with "catheterless" technique employing none of these devices (group B). The mean age was 39.7 months, the male to female ratio was 24:8 and the mean follow-up period was 13.1 months. The mean length of hospital stay was 10.2 days for group A and 7.2 days for group B (p=0.001). The mean day of pain medication was 8.9 days for group A and 6.0 days for group B (p=0.011) The mean number of pain medication was 35.6 times for group A and 24.0 times for group B (p> 0.05). This represents a 32.6% decrease in the mean number of pain medication for group B, despite of the statistical insignificance. There was neither complication nor failure for group B. In conclusion, we believe that the catheter-free ureteral reimplantation provides a safe and reliable alternative which may results in less morbidity than traditional methods in children.