The kidney consists of two parts: one part that filters excess water and waste from the blood, and one part that collects this filtered 'urine'. This collection system is called the renal pelvis, and this in turn passes into the ureter that carries urine to the bladder.

Rarely, there is a congenital narrowing of the junction between the renal pelvis and the ureter, this is called a ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) stenosis.

 

 

This can be present for a long time before complaints occur and in some people this will never even cause complaints. If it causes complaints, it usually concerns the typical 'renal colic' in which severe up and down pain occurs in the kidney area. This may be accompanied by nausea and / or vomiting.

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Pyeloplasty

 

A UPJ stenosis certainly does not always require surgery. This will only be suggested if you experience repeated pain complaints, if kidney infections occur repeatedly or if there are indications that the functioning of your kidney is being impaired.

 

Our service opts for a robot-assisted procedure, in which we work with keyhole surgery through a few small incisions. The diseased, narrowed part of the ureter is removed and the ends are reattached. This means that you will usually have an internal tube ('stent') between the kidney and the bladder for several weeks to give the ureter time to heal nicely. After that time, the tube will be removed under local anesthesia.