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Introduction: Urinary fistula and ureteral stenosis occur respectively in 2-5% and 2-7.5% after kidney transplantation. The aim of the study was to do an overview about the complex management of these complications., Material and Methods: A bibliographical research in French and English language was carried out. Debates on the topic held within a meeting organized by the transplantation Committee of the French association of urology (CTAFU) have incremented the work., Results: Within the different causes of stenosis and fistula after kidney transplantation, ischemic diseases of the complex blood supply of the ureter are usually involved. The diagnosis is not always easy to establish. It is based on clinical assessment, blood and urinary biochemical exams, ultrasonography and CT-scan. Pyelography or retrograde ureteropyelography are essential in the management. Definitive treatment is surgical: uretero-vesical reimplatation, uretero-uretral anastomosis, pyelo-ureteral anastomosis., Conclusion: Urologic complications of the kidney transplantation usually do not affect the transplant survival if treated accurately and on time. The surgical management remains complex., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Calyceal fistula is a rare complication of renal transplantation that may lead to graft loss. This article reports a case of functional recuperation of a graft that seemed condemned to failure., Methods: 31 year old male patient, submitted to living donor renal transplant, in which was necessary to ligate a superior polar artery found during donor nephrectomy, due to its short length. This resulted in development of a calyceal fistula, unsolved with conservative treatment by percutaneous drainage. A new surgical intervention revealed a large upper pole area of necrotic tissue, corresponding to the obliterated artery irrigation zone., Results: Debridement and calyceal suture were performed and a posterior pyelography confirmed fistula closure. Presently, he is asymptomatic, with stabilized graft function., Conclusion: Calyceal fistulas are complications of difficult resolution. However, the present case demonstrates that with an appropriate treatment it is possible to save a graft with no apparent solution at the first place.

Transplantation into an ileal conduit is an established option for patients with end-stage renal failure and a nonfunctioning urinary tract. Urinary fistulae are more common following these complex transplants. Urinary fistula in this scenario can cause substantial morbidity and even result in graft loss. The management options depend on the viability of the transplant ureter, the level of local sepsis and the overall condition of the patient. Urinary diversion with a nephrostomy and ureteric stents has been described in aiding the healing of urinary leaks in renal transplants into a functioning urinary tract. We describe the successful use of negative wound pressure therapy to eradicate the local sepsis and help the healing of a recurrent urinary fistula following kidney transplantation into an ileal conduit. To our knowledge these are the first such cases reported in the literature., (© 2010 The Authors Journal compilation © 2010 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.)

Objectives: urinary fistula is a morbid complication after renal transplantation leading to graft losses and patient death. We review and update our data on urinary fistula after renal transplantation and the outcome after surgical and conservative management., Materials and Methods: the charts of 1046 renal transplants were reviewed. Transplants were performed through an extended inguinotomy; vascular anastomoses to the iliac vessels and urinary reconstruction accomplished through the Gregoir technique. Fistulae were diagnosed by urinary leaks through the incision or by the occurrence of a collection in the iliac fossa. Patient was treated surgically or conservatively according to the characteristics of the fistula and patient clinical status., Results: Thirty one fistulae were diagnosed (2.9%). Twenty nine leaks due to ureteral necrosis and 2 due to reimplantation fault. The incidence of leaks among cadaver and live donor transplants was 3.22% and 2.63%, respectively (p = 0.73). Among diabetic and non diabetic patients the incidence of urinary leaks was 6.4% and 2.6%, respectively (p = 0.049). Treatment consisted in anastomosis of the graft ureter or pelvis with the ureter of the recipient in 17 cases with success in 13 (76.5%). Prolonged bladder drainage was employed in 7 cases and the fistula healed in 4 (57%). Ureteral reimplantation was performed in 3 cases and did not work in any of them. Ureteral ligature plus nephrostomy was employed in two cases and worked in one (50%). Percutaneous nephrostomy and ureteral stenting with double J catheter were employed in one case each and worked in both., Conclusions: The anastomosis of the graft ureter with the ureter of the recipient is a good method for treating urinary fistulae after renal transplantation when local and systemic conditions are good. Ureteral ligature associated to nephrostomy should be applied in cases of unfavorable local conditions or clinically unstable patients.

Objective: To analyze the incidence of urological complications, like fistula and stenosis in our series of 282 renal transplants and their management., Materials and Methods: Between December 1995 and October 2005, 282 adult recipients underwent renal transplant. The most common urological complication was urinary fistula. This complication was observed in 24 cases (8.5%), ureteral stenosis in 18 cases (6.4%) and both of them in 5 (1.7%). The items recorded on these patients included the time to diagnosis, the image technique, the type of ureteral stents and the clinical evolution., Results: Endourologic treatment with percutaneos nefrostomy, double-J catheter and metalic endoprotesis was performed successfully in 76.4% of urinary fistula, in 66.7% of ureteral obstruction and in 60% of patients who developed both of them., Conclusion: Endourologic procedures have replaced open reconstructive surgery in most patients with ureteral obstruction or urinary fistula after renal transplant, because they may offer a definitive treatment with low morbidity.

Causes of gross hematuria in a patient with end-stage renal disease are limited compared with those in patients with normal renal function. Given the increased likelihood of patients with end-stage renal disease developing renal cell carcinoma, the workup focuses on a careful evaluation of the collecting system. The workup for gross hematuria in a renal transplant recipient is similar; however, the focus shifts toward a more thorough evaluation of the transplanted kidney and bladder because immunosuppression increases the overall risk for malignancy. An immunosuppressed patient also is at risk for infectious processes in the transplanted kidney manifesting as gross hematuria. Concerns for chronic rejection also should be investigated, although microscopic hematuria is more common in this scenario. If this is unrevealing, then close scrutiny of the native kidneys for possible sources of bleeding is warranted. We present an interesting and unusual cause of painless gross hematuria in a patient with end-stage renal disease and transplant nephrectomy 3 months before the onset of bleeding.

Introduction: The incidence of urological complications after kidney transplantation varies from 3% to 14%, with a probable loss of the graft in 10% to 15% of cases and a mortality rate of up to 15%, despite improvements in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment as well as the use of new immunosuppressive therapies. Urinous fistulae, which are considered early complications of transplantation, are due to ischemic damage or necrosis generally occurring in the distal third of the ureter. Preservation of accessory arteries to the lower portion of the kidney is important, as they may constitute the blood supply of this segment of the collecting system or ureter. Their ligation may lead to necrosis and urinary fistulae. Ureteral stenosis, as late complication, is related to a pathology of the ureter itself, to infections, to abscesses, to fibrosis, and to ischemia. An early endoscopic approach permits resolution in 70% of cases. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine incidence and treatment of these complications., Materials and Methods: From 1991 to 2004 we performed 453 kidney transplantations both from cadaveric and living donors. In 199 patients we performed a transvesical ureteroneocystostomy (UNCS), and in 260, an extravesical UNCS., Results: The nine patients who showed fistulae (1.9%) underwent surgical treatment. In eight we used a direct ureteral reimplantation, and in one, a Boari flap technique. Nephrectomy was necessary in four patients, including two who died of septic complications. In all 26 cases of ureteral stenosis (5.6%), we used an endourological approach (anterograde or retrograde), with surgical treatment afterward in 11 patients (42%) nine direct reimplants, one anastomosis to the native ureter (transplantation from a living donor), and in one case a Boari flap technique four patients who underwent surgical treatment showed progressive damage to graft function., Conclusions: In all patients who showed fistulae we suggest surgical review: for patients with ureteral stenosis, we suggest first an endourological approach and only when it is not successful do we consider surgical treatment.

Caliceal fistula is a rare complication after renal transplant and may lead to graft failure. We present a case of complex caliceal-cutaneous and caliceal-peritoneal fistula in a renal transplant patient who was successfully managed conservatively.

Background: Calyceal fistulas are common and difficult to treat after surgery of urinary collecting system., Methods: A 30-year old woman. The fifth day after receiving a cadaver donor renal allograft presented an acute rejection episode; fourteen days later presented an urinoma treated with a percutaneous drainage tube. Five days later surgical exploration was made, lower pole infarction and ischemic necrosis of distal ureter were found. Parcial nephrectomy and neo-ureterovesical anastomosis were performed. Later, an inferior calyceal fistula was evidenced, persisting during several weeks in spite of a percutaneous drainage tube. Under fluoroscopic guidance the fistulous tract was embolized with N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate., Results: The fluoroscopic control confirmed the total closure of the fistula. After 22 months no reappearance of the fistula, no stenosis has been shown at this level., Conclusions: This is a useful technique for the treatment of calyceal fistulas. This is the first time that N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate is use in the treatment of a calyceal fistula.

The aim of this article is to review the radiological management of complications following renal transplant.

Objective: To study pathogeny, diagnosis and treatment of ureter fistula after renal transplantation., Methods: The clinical data from 30 cases after renal transplantations were analyzed., Results: Four patients received conservative treatment, and 2 repairment of the fistula. Eleven patients had resection of the ureter or adjustment of the kidney, followed by the anastomosis of the ureter and bladder again. After the turning of the bladder's lamella, 13 patients were given 20 - 24 Foley's tube connecting the pelvis and bladder and nine of them were not subjected to re-anastomosis waiting for the pelvis crawling to the bladder as a tunnel. The one-year survival rates for 30 cases and kidneys was 96.7% (29/30) and 86.7% (26/30) respectively., Conclusions: There a lot of causes for ureter which are fistula, running related to every aspect of transplantation. Early diagnosis and treatment is important to prognosis. Most patients need reanastomosis. According to the blood stream, edema, length of the ureter, operative procedures are selected to ensure free of strain.

Purpose: To evaluate the outcome in seven patients in whom iatrogenic vascular complications were treated with catheter embolization., Methods: Angiography showed an arteriovenous fistula in six of the seven patients, a pseudoaneurysm in three patients, and an arteriocaliceal fistula in three patients. Embolization was performed with GAW coils or microcoils in all cases. In three patients enbucrilate, polyvinyl alcohol, or absorbable gelatin powder was administered as an adjunct to the coils., Results: Angiographic success with total occlusion of the vascular injury was achieved in five of the seven patients and clinical success was achieved in four of seven cases. In two cases, nephrectomy after embolization was necessary because of renal artery occlusion or acute hemorrhage at the renal artery anastomosis, respectively. Infarction of 30%-50% of the renal parenchyma was seen in two cases., Conclusion: Angiographically successful embolization is not necessarily associated with clinical success. The complication rate is high.

The pancreaticoduodenocystostomy has become the most acquired technique to perform a combined pancreas-kidney-transplantation. This operation shows some disadvantages. There sometimes are urological problems. In this article, we describe two patients, who showed urethral problems due to this operation. At the same time, we would like to describe the possible causes and the preferable treatment of this rare complication. We advise to start with a conservative treatment and, if problems persist, to consider an intestinal conversion.

Because of the altered anatomy, the presence of immunosuppression, the possibility of graft rejection, and the serious implications of a problem involving a solitary kidney, the transplanted kidney presents unique challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of urologic complications. Historically, the mortality rate in these patients has been as high as 68%, and as many as 15% of the allografts have been lost. Today, endourologic procedures are used for prompt diagnosis, temporization, and even definitive management of many urologic complications, and many patients and allografts are being saved. The authors review present techniques and suggest others that may be available in the future.

Of 24 renal allograft recipients with urinary extravasation 14 (58%) with ureteral fistulas were selected for percutaneous management in an attempt to obviate secondary operative intervention. The initial procedure in all cases was placement of a percutaneous nephrostomy tube with subsequent internal or internal/external stenting. With a mean followup of 47 months, the percutaneous management proved definitive in 5 patients (36%) and palliative in 1 (7%). The other 8 patients (57%) subsequently required open operative intervention. With this study, we conclude that percutaneous techniques can provide long-term definitive management for at least some transplant ureteral fistulas. However, even in a highly selected group of patients success rates will be limited.

The present study reports our experience in the endourological treatment of fistulas of the distal ureter in renal transplant patients. The temporary urinary exclusion or dry technique was effective in 8 of the 10 patients. We advocate the use of this simple and safe technique which achieves excellent results.

Caliceal-cutaneous fistula is an uncommon complication of renal transplantation that frequently leads to graft resection. We report our experience with the successful conservative management of a case of caliceal-cutaneous fistula secondary to acute allograft rejection in a renal transplant recipient.

Vesicoureteric, ureteric and calyceal fistulae in cadaver transplants may be successfully treated by early exploration and nephrostomy splintage with silastic tubing for a period of not less than 6 weeks.

The current overall reported incidence of major urologic complications following renal transplantation is 5 per cent. The presence of such a complication increases the likelihood of patient mortality by a factor of three. Standard utilization of postoperative radionuclide scanning is very useful in early diagnosis. Vesical fistulas generally result from improper bladder closure. The incidence of bladder complications increases with secondary and tertiary grafts. Ureteral complications result when the blood supply of the ureter is impaired. These include fistula formation, necrosis, and obstruction. Immediate surgical correction is indicated in almost all serious urologic complications following transplantation; otherwise there is marked increase in morbidity and mortality. Complications appearing early in the postoperative period carry a poor prognosis for both graft and recipient survival. The presence of urinary tract infection early in the postoperative period also correlates negatively with graft survival. The presence of multiple renal arteries in the donor has been associated with an increased rate of urologic complications. Ureteral fistulas can be avoided by meticulous dissection of the donor at the time or organ harvesting. Great care must be taken to preserve the arterial and venous blood supply to the ureter by avoiding any dissection into the renal hilum. Aberrant renal arteries must be preserved or repaired if damaged. Ureteroneocystostomy is the preferred method for re-establishing urinary tract continuity following transplantation. The immediate surgical correction of urologic complications is mandatory, and the techniques involved are highly specialized and must be individualized with each patient.

Nineteen self-retaining ureteral stents were used to manage postoperative ureteral obstruction and fistulas in 12 renal transplant recipients. In 3 patients with ureteral obstruction and 2 with a fistula placement of the self-retaining stents for 4 to 6 weeks allowed the complication to resolve. In 3 patients with ureteral obstruction placement of the self-retaining stents allowed for stabilization of the condition and reduction of immunosuppression therapy before an open surgical repair. In 6 patients self-retaining ureteral stents were used to protect the high risk anastomosis done at an open surgical repair of a complication. Placement of a self-retaining ureteral stent may be the best choice in the early management of ureteral obstruction and fistulas in transplant recipients.

Lymphocele and lymphatic fistulae are relatively benign complications in renal transplantation. The incidence in our series of 248 renal transplants was 8%. The origin and pathogenesis of lymph collection and augmented lymph flow are discussed. The main importance of this complication lies in its differential diagnosis with urinary fistula and acute rejection episode or deep phlebothrombosis with all its therapeutic implications. Important lymph accumulations should be drained. We prefer as initial treatment a percutaneous closed aspiration which most successfully solves the problem. In case this method should fail, one can choose between external or internal drainage. As in literature, we actually prefer an internal marsupialisation, but completed by an omentoplasty if the leakage originates from the kidney.

In 285 renal transplantations, performed during the years 1967-1978, 6 ureteral obstructions (2,1%) and 15 urinary fistulas (5,3%) were observed. Ureteral obstructions occurred in the late phase after transplantation and were caused by strictures at the uretero-vesical anastomosis (two patients), compression of the ureter by enlarged kidney during rejection (one patient) resp. lymphocele (one patient) and strictures at the pyelo-ureteral junction (two patients). Satisfactory results were achieved by surgical treatment in all patients. Urinary fistulas occurred in the early postoperative phase. Two vesical, 12 vesico-ureteral and one calyceal fistula were observed. 7 fistulas (1 vesical, 6 vesico-ureteral) closed spontaneously after temporary drainage of the bladder. 8 fistulas were repaired surgically. While satisfactory results were obtained in 13 patients, two patients died due to infection and sepsis after reoccurrence of fistulas.