Management strategies and root causes of missed iatrogenic intraoperative ureteral injuries with delayed diagnosis: a retrospective cohort study of 40 cases

Background Intraoperative iatrogenic ureteral injuries represent rare technical surgical complications with the potential for adverse patient outcomes, particularly when the diagnosis is delayed. Ideally, these technical complications are recognized and repaired intraoperatively. This study was designed to investigate the root causes and outcomes of missed intraoperative ureteral injuries at a tertiary urology referral centre in Tunisia. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study in a tertiary urology referral centre in Tunis from January 1 st, 2015, to December 31 st, 2020, including all patients with iatrogenic ureteral injury, not diagnosed intraoperatively. The factors associated with the success of endoscopic treatment and those associated with the unfavourable evolution were investigated. Results A total of 40 iatrogenic ureteral injuries were included. Gynaecological surgery was responsible for 85% of ureteral injuries, mainly during hysterectomies (55%). The symptoms were dominated by low back pain (37.5%) and pyelonephritis (25%). Endoscopic treatment was attempted in 22 cases, it was sufficient in 12 cases. Ureteral injury required surgical treatment in 24 cases, and ureteroneocystostomy was performed in 16 cases. Nephrectomy was performed in eight cases, representing 20% of injuries, including three cases as the first treatment for late-diagnosed cases with a destroyed kidney. In the analytical study, endoscopic treatment was sufficient in 50% in case of ureteral fistula versus 27% in case of ureteral stenosis (p = 0.04). Nephrectomy was performed in 10% of cases when ureteral injury was diagnosed within the first month postoperatively compared to 60% of cases when this delay exceeded one month (p = 0.004). Conclusion Iatrogenic ureteral injuries discovered postoperatively are mostly secondary to gynaecologic surgery. Although endoscopic treatment is usually performed as a first treatment, a more aggressive surgical is often necessary, with a nephrectomy rate of 20%.