Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2013 Mar;36(2):166-9.
doi: 10.1179/2045772312Y.0000000080.

A peculiar complication of suprapubic catheterization: recurrent ureteral obstruction and hydronephrosis

Bamidele Adeyemo  1 , Steven Makovitch, Dominic Foo
Affiliations
Case Reports

A peculiar complication of suprapubic catheterization: recurrent ureteral obstruction and hydronephrosis

Bamidele Adeyemo et al. J Spinal Cord Med. 2013 Mar.

Abstract

Context: Suprapubic cystostomy (SPC) catheterization is a common and important technique for the management of vesicular drainage, especially in patients with neurogenic bladder. Some serious complications include bowel perforation and obstruction.

Findings: A 55-year-old man with C6 American Spinal Injury Association B tetraplegia and a urethral stricture requiring a chronic SPC was admitted for recurrent urosepsis. Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen revealed severe right hydronephrosis and hydroureter due to obstruction of the right distal ureter by the SPC tip. The SPC (30 French/10-mm silicone catheter with a 10-ml balloon) was removed and replaced with a similar suprapubic catheter (30 French/10-mm silicone catheter with an 8-ml balloon). Symptoms recurred 2 months later and he was readmitted for urosepsis. CT of the abdomen again revealed severe right hydronephrosis and hydroureter due to obstruction of the right distal ureter by the SPC tip. The SPC was removed, and the patient was given a 14 French/4.67-mm urethral silicone catheter with a 5-ml balloon. Follow-up CT of the abdomen 2 months later showed complete resolution of the hydronephrosis and hydroureter. Of note, urodynamic studies 2 years earlier revealed an extremely small bladder with a capacity less than 20 ml.

Conclusion: This case illustrates that obstruction of the ureter by the tip of an SPC can be a cause of recurrent hydronephrosis and urosepsis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
CT scan, coronal view of the abdomen demonstrating suprapubic catheter tip in the right ureter (arrow).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Borrero GO, Miller PR, Vora K, Nepjuk CA. Acute ureteral obstruction as a complication of suprapubic catherization. Urol Radiol 1987;9(3):171–3 - PubMed
    1. Dangle PP, Tycast J, Vasquez E, Geary B, Chehval M. Suprapubic cystostomy: a bizarre complication of catheter migration causing ureteric obstruction. Can Urol Assoc J 2010;4(5):E127–8 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Singh DR, Sailo L, Abraham NB, Kekre N. An unusual complication of percutaneous suprapubic cystostomy. Indian J Urol 2001;17(2):179–80
    1. Parikh AM, Chapple CR. Suprapubic catheter: an unusual case of acute retention. Br J Urol 1993;71(4):494–5 - PubMed
    1. Sheriff MK, Foley S, McFarlane J, Nauth-Misir R, Craggs M, Shah PJ. Long-term suprapubic catheterisation: clinical outcome and satisfaction survey. Spinal Cord 1998;36(3):171–6 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources