My wife has an ureteral obstruction, what are her options?

[Chris69]

Hi,
five month ago my wife had a big uterine fibroid removed as her consultant thought that it was applying some pressure on her left kidney.
After the operation she had a scan to check if the left kidney was fine but they noticed that it didn't look normal. A renogram showed that the renal function was only 22% and a further cystoscopy only confirmed that there was an obstruction in the ureter (approx 6cm from the kidney) since the tube and camera couldn't go any further due to the obstruction.
The consultant gave her two options: repair the ureter or remove the kidney (his choice). She is very concerned about the second option and she would like to know more about the options to repair the ureter, post-op recovery rate of the renal function, best clinic/hospital (private or not)
in London/Greater London, and a good specialist for a second opinion.
Can anyone pls help?
Thank you

[Rachel in NY]

You should see another dr. (urologist/nephroligist) for a second opinion. Find out what repairing the ureter will involve. Find out what the removal of a kidney would entail.

It would seem that removing the blockage will be simpler... There are no incisions, and the surgery is done through cystoscope. They can remove the blockage, insert a stent (kinda like supporting pillars) to keep things open and clear during recovery, and she'll be fine. That sounds ALOT better then kidney removal, which is more harsh, and invasive.

Depending on where the blockage is and how easy it is to remove plays a big role though. I had multiple blockages which never did get 'fixed' by multiple ureter reconstruction surgeries. I ultimately had the kidney removed, for a differnet reason.

But if you can save her kidney and do the blockage removal, in my opinion, that sounds great. DO check out both options, with more then one dr. if necessary, and then you'll be able to more intelligently weigh the pros & cons of each procedure.

Good luck!