Laparoscopic (key-hole) Pyeloplasty
This is a key-hole procedure that removes a small section of the upper ureter (tube from the kidney) allowing the urine to flow normally into the bladder.
Patients can develop problems with the way the urine drains from the kidney into the upper ureter. This is called a pelvi-ureteric junction (PUJ) obstruction. The only way to cure this problem is to remove a small piece of the upper ureter (the PUJ) and rejoin the rest of the ureter back to the kidney. Manchester Urology are the only group in the northwest offering this operation which has a proven track record of success in curing the condition but using key-hole techniques with small incisions.
Patients are usually in hospital for around 4 days and require an in-dwelling stent that drains the kidney into the bladder allowing the repair to heal. This is usually removed after 4 weeks under a local anaesthetic using a flexible camera.