Modern surgical strategies in the management of complex ureteral strictures

Purpose of review The purpose of this article is to outline the various therapeutic options of ureteral strictures. Recent findings Ureteral strictures with consecutive hydronephrosis can be due to endourological and surgical procedures, inflammatory processes, radiation therapy as well as spontaneous passage of ureteral calculi. When planning surgical correction, stricture length, anatomical location as well as patients’ characteristics like age, comorbidities and previous treatment in the peritoneal cavity, retroperitoneum or pelvis should be taken into consideration. Treatment options include not only surgical reconstruction techniques like simple stricture excision, end-to-end anastomosis, ureterolysis with omental wrapping, ureteroneoimplantation, renal autotransplantation and ureter-ileum replacement, but also minimally invasive procedures such as self-expandable thermostents and pyelovesical bypass prosthesis. Summary Various therapeutic options can be offered in the treatment of ureteral strictures, potentially leading to long-term success rate of more than 90% and a rate of significant complications < 5%.