Experience managing distal ureteral strictures with Boari flap-psoas hitch and comparison of open and laparoscopic procedures

BACKGROUND: To summarize our experience with the Boari flap-psoas hitch and compare the indications, perioperative data and outcomes between open and laparoscopic procedures. METHODS: This study retrospectively reviewed 35 patients with complex distal ureteral stricture between January 2015 and April 2019. All patients were treated with Boari flap-psoas hitch by either an open or a laparoscopic procedure. Selection criteria were based on the etiology, comorbidities, medical history, and patient preference. RESULTS: All surgeries were performed successfully. The median operation time was 201 min (range, 120 to 300 min), and the median estimated blood loss was 50 mL (range, 20 to 400 mL). The median postoperative hospitalization was 9 days (range, 3 to 46 days). Nineteen patients were treated by the open procedure, and 16 were treated by the transperitoneal laparoscopic procedure. The surgical indication of open surgery was broader than that for laparoscopic surgery. For patients experiencing iatrogenic injury and ureterovesical reimplantation failure, no significant differences in sex, laterality, operative time, ASA score or postoperative hospitalization stay were observed between the two groups. The median estimated blood loss was lower in the laparoscopic group than in the open group (P=0.047). Patients in the open group had more surgical complications than patients in the laparoscopic group (P=0.049). The postoperative follow-up showed the radiological resolution of hydronephrosis in 33 patients. CONCLUSIONS: With the appropriate surgical considerations, Boari flap-psoas hitch is a valid method to bridge distal ureteral defects. For select patients, laparoscopic surgery had advantages being a minimal invasive surgery with less estimated blood loss and fewer surgical complications.