Minimally Invasive Management of Iatrogenic Ureteral Injuries with Ureteroscope Facilitated by Holmium Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet Laser

Abstract

The ureter is vulnerable during general, gynecologic, and urologic surgeries. The traditional open surgical approaches to treating the iatrogenic ureteral injuries have shown several disadvantages such as relatively high rate of severe complications. Although the applications of endourological techniques for management of lower ureteral strictures have been routinely introduced over the last 10 years, most of the different modalities were based on the utilization of hydrophilic instruments that can facilitate the traversal of strictures surrounded by the sutures with gradually increasing force. Interestingly, we have revealed the Ho:YAG laser as the outstanding auxiliary approach to incising the sutures during the ureteroscopy for its well-controlled penetration depth, minimal scarring, and precise cutting. As far as we know, the combined utilization of Ho:YAG laser to incise the sutures responsible for the strictures and double J ureteral stent for drainage has not been extensively reported. Normal ureters of the patients managed by this novel approach were shown by the follow-up 3-4 months later, which demonstrated that the available technique was promising to effectively treat the iatrogenic ureteral injuries.