Intraoperative Management of an Incidentally Identified Ectopic Ureter Inserting Into the Prostate of a Patient Undergoing Radical Prostatectomy for Prostate Cancer: A Case Report

Congenital variations in urinary tract anatomy present unique surgical challenges when they present without prior knowledge. Ectopic ureters occur as a rare anatomic variation of the urinary tract and are often associated with duplicated renal collecting systems. While the condition is uncommon, even more atypical is its discovery and subsequent diagnosis during surgical intervention for treatment of localized prostate cancer. We describe the intraoperative management of a unique case of bilateral ectopic ureters, with a right-sided ureter inserting into the prostate of a 54-year-old male undergoing robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy. While unknown at the time of surgery, this right-sided ureter was associated with a nonfunctioning right upper renal moiety of a duplex renal collecting system. This aberration was discovered intraoperatively and confirmed with imaging, and a robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy with right distal ureterectomy was performed.