Laparoscopic resection of a bladder diverticulum in children

Introduction. Recently, there have been publications devoted to laparoscopic removal of a bladder ear. The article sums up the multi-center experience in laparoscopic diverticulectomy. Materials and methods. Case histories of 30 children who underwent surgeries from 2012 to 2019 in 7 outpatient clinics were analyzed retrospectively. 22 boys (73.3%) and 8 girls (26.7%) were operated. At the time of the surgery, the mean age of the patients was 53.5 months. 15 (50.0%) children had right-sided diverticulum, 13 (43.3%) children suffered from left-sided one, and 2 had bilateral diverticulum (6.7%). The disease onset was presented by acute urinary tract infection in 25 (83.3%) children and urination dysfunction in 5 (16.7%). The laparoscopic access technique was used in all children. An isolated diverticulum was excised and the wall of the urinary bladder was restored. When the diverticulum was combined with a vesicoureteral reflux or ureterovesical anastomosis, ureteral reimplantation was added. Results. No conversions were found during the laparoscopy. Following the surgery, 3 (10.0%) children developed stent-associated pyelonephritis. No patient had complications during the observation that lasted from 6 months to 6 years. Conclusion. Laparoscopic technique is an effective and safe approach of treating a bladder ear in children.