[Urinary fistula after transplantation: eleven cases].

OBJECTIVES:To specify the anatomical features of urinary fistulas and to evaluate the results of percutaneous and surgical treatment of post-transplantation urinary fistulas. PATIENTS AND METHODS:11 urinary fistulas were observed after 160 renal transplantations, corresponding to an incidence of this complication of 6.8%. Urinary fistulas were treated percutaneously in three cases and surgically in eight cases. THE FOLLOWING COMPLICATIONS WERE OBSERVED DURING SURGICAL TREATMENT: extensive necrosis of the urethra in four cases, rupture of the sutures in two cases, a punctate pelvic fistula in one case. RESULTS:The incidence of fistula was 5.8% for Leadbetter reimplantation and 8.1% for Lich-Gregoir extravesical reimplantation. We obtained one success in three patients treated percutaneously and one death and seven successes out of eight patients treated surgically. We performed ureteropelvic anastomosis with the native ureter in the case of extensive necrosis of the ureter (4 cases), a new reimplantation in three cases and suture of the pelvic fistula in one case. CONCLUSION:More than one half of post-transplantation urinary fistulas observed in our department are secondary to ischaemic necrosis of the ureter. We emphasize the value of preservation of the ureteric blood supply during organ harvesting. Post-transplantation urinary fistulas must be treated surgically, as soon as possible, to avoid infectious complications.