Robot-assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty for the management of pelvi-ureteric junction obstruction in horseshoe kidneys: Initial experience

Abstract

Minimally invasive dismembered pyeloplasty has become the gold-standard treatment for symptomatic pelvi-ureteric junction obstruction (PUJO) in recent years. A small proportion of patients with PUJO have horseshoe kidneys. We present two cases of robot-assisted pyeloplasty in horseshoe kidneys and describe the technical modifications for success in these cases. Two patients, aged 28 and 35 years, were diagnosed with symptomatic PUJO in horseshoe kidneys. Both had a robotic-assisted laparoscopic dismembered pyeloplasty using the da Vinci® surgical system (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA, USA). Three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) reconstructions were performed pre-operatively to plan ..