Injury of the Ureter

After a comprehensive study of the medical literature dealing with the problem of injury of the ureter we are able to state that there has been a unanimity of opinion in the past few years with regard to the frequency of ureteral injury. The present agreement is due essentially to recognition of the pathologic lesion. Our approach to the subject has been, first, through a comprehensive review of all medical literature, especially that of the past twelve years; secondly, through a summarizing and abstraction of our clinical material, and, thirdly, by securing a classification of ureteral injuries into four important groups. We find that the incidence of injury increases from the groups of injury due to foreign bodies and to external violence, which are relatively rare, to a greater number caused by intraureteral instrumentation and finally to the largest group, injuries of the ureter due to surgical procedures on the