Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction Caused by Crossing Vessels in Infants and Young Children.

Background: To analyze the clinical characteristics of ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) caused by crossing vessels (CV) in infants and young children.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on children with UPJO who underwent primary surgery. Patients were classified into laparoscopic pyeloplasty (LP) and open pyeloplasty (OP) groups and classified as ≤3 or >3 (years old) groups. Children with CV-caused UPJO were identified.

Results: A total of 747 patients were included. Ninety cases of CV were identified. The CV discovery rate was higher in the LP group (78/457, 17.1%) than in the OP group (12/290, 4.1%) (P < 0.001). In the ≤3 group, the CV discovery rate in the LP group (27/144, 18.8%) was higher than that in the OP group (11/274, 4.0%) (P < 0.001). In the LP group, there was no significant difference between ≤3 (27/144, 18.8%) and >3 (51/313, 16.3%) groups in the CV discovery rate. The rate in children with UPJO was not significantly different at any age (P > 0.05). Progressive aggravation of hydronephrosis (21/27, 77.8%) and symptomatic hydronephrosis (44/51, 86.3%) were the main surgical indications in the ≤3 and > 3 groups, respectively. There were no preoperatively confirmed cases of CV in the ≤3 group. In the OP group, five patients underwent reoperation, three of whom were due to failure to detect CV during the initial operation.

Conclusions: The CV distribution is similar in children with UPJO across all ages; CV in infants and young children are not rare. LP should be considered as CV are prone to being missed during OP.

Levels Of Evidence: III.