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Case Reports
. 2023 Mar 22;15(3):e36536.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.36536. eCollection 2023 Mar.

Pyeloplasty for a Child With a Retrocaval Ureter: A Case Report

Muhannad Wael  1 , Mohammed A Lubbad  2 , Abdulmalik Jaber  3 , Wael Abuarafeh  4 , Murad Al Hammouri  4
Affiliations
Case Reports

Pyeloplasty for a Child With a Retrocaval Ureter: A Case Report

Muhannad Wael et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Retrocaval ureter, also known as a circumcaval ureter or pre-ureteral vena cava, is a rare entity in which the patient's ureter passes backward to the inferior vena cava (IVC). The IVC compresses the upper portion of the ureter resulting in varying degrees of hydroureteronephrosis. We report a case of a child with retrocaval ureter malformation that was incidentally diagnosed while investigating for intermittent right renal colic, which was successfully treated by subcostal pyeloplasty. This case highlights the importance of radiographic imaging to diagnose retrocaval ureter, with computed tomography as a definitive method, but other modalities, including magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound, and pyelography, are also helpful.

Keywords: double-j stent; retrocaval; surgery; ureter; urology.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. intravenous pyelogram showing the anomaly of the right ureter (blue arrow), which is fishhook-shaped; and moderate ureterohydronephrosis (yellow arrow).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Three-dimensional computed tomography scan showing the right circumcaval ureter anomaly (yellow arrow) that encircles the inferior vena cava.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Postoperative x-ray showing the inserted double J stent (yellow arrows).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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