[Ureteral injury at the National Institute of Perinatology].

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the incidence of ureteral injury at Instituto Nacional de Perinatologia and to know the variables associated to ureteral injury as a ginecoobstetric surgery complication, and to do a theme review.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a study including patients with ureteral injury from January 1st 1992 to July 1st 2005. Files were registered for age, parity, surgery associated to the injury, injury type, diagnostic time and methods, management type and evolution. The study was observational, transversal, and retrospective. We analyzed the results with descriptive statistics.

RESULTS: We included 39,405 surgeries; a total of 32 injuries were identified, and in 41% the injured ureter was the left one, in 42% was the right one and both in 17%. We included patients from the Instituto and from another hospital. Mean age was 38.9 years, media 43 and mode 44 years. Principal surgery related was the gynecological histerectomy. Patients' evolution was satisfactory. The most frequent surgery to repair the ureter was the reimplantation, followed by the immediate reparation with simple stitches.

CONCLUSIONS: The ureteral injury frequency was 0.04%, in relation principally with gynecological histerectomy. The most frequent injury type was the ligation in the distal third. In three cases there was a ureter-bladder fistula. The ureteral reimplantation was the most frequent surgical repair.