Open Pyeloplasty in Infants under 1 Year—Proven or Meaningless?

The use of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) to treat ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) in children has significantly increased. Nowadays, open pyeloplasty (OP) seems to lose importance. The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of OP in infants < 1 year. Medical records of patients < 1 year with UPJO who had undergone retroperitoneal OP (January 2008–February 2022) at our institution were retrospectively analyzed. Included patients were operated on according to a modified Anderson–Hynes technique. All clinical, operative, and postoperative (1 month–5 years’ follow-up) data were collected. Additionally, a nonvalidated questionnaire was sent to the patients/parents. A total of 162 infants (124 boys) met the inclusion criteria. The median age at surgery was 3 months (range: 0–11 months). The median operation time was 106 min (range: 63–198 min). None of the patients had severe surgical complication (Clavien–Dindo > 3). The nonvalidated questionnaire showed a high impact of quality of life. Follow-up was in median 30.5 months (0–162 months). OP is still a reliable procedure with good long-term results especially in infants < 1 year of age, which can be performed in a variety of centers.