A ureterostomy is a surgical procedure that redirects the ureters—the tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder—to a new opening in the skin called a stoma. This allows urine to leave the body without passing through the bladder. The surgery can be done on one ureter (unilateral) or both (bilateral).
In a normal system, the bladder stores urine until it is expelled. After a ureterostomy, urine flows directly from the kidneys into an external pouch attached to the body, bypassing the bladder entirely. This pouch needs to be emptied as often as you would normally urinate. For children, urine may drain into a diaper.
A ureterostomy is typically performed when the bladder is either removed or unable to function properly due to injury, disease, or other conditions. Without this procedure, urine can accumulate, leading to chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs), kidney failure, and other serious health issues. In most cases, this surgery is intended to be a permanent solution.
Ureterostomy falls under the category of urinary diversion surgeries, which involve redirecting the flow of urine. Any surgery that creates a new opening in the skin for waste to exit the body is known as an ostomy.
Your doctor might suggest a ureterostomy if your bladder is unable to expel urine properly. Some possible reasons for this include:
Every technique has some risk involved. Before surgery, you should talk through the risks with your doctor. A few ureterostomy concerns include:
Prior to a ureterostomy, the following examinations are typical:
Before surgery, you will have a consultation with a doctor to go over how to take care of your stoma. They will choose a spot for the stoma that is both easily visible and won’t obstruct your skin fold or belt line.
A ureterostomy is a procedure in which a surgeon creates a stoma—a surgically made incision in your skin—by disconnecting one or both of your ureters from your bladder. A stoma’s width can reach up to 3 inches. It permits waste to exit your body.
Your urine has nowhere to gather before leaving your body since your bladder is no longer a component of the urinary process. Rather, it leaves your body through a stoma-enclosed plastic pouch that is affixed to the exterior. If you have a unilateral ureterostomy, this is not the case. In this instance, urine exits the stoma but urine from one ureter continues to accumulate in your bladder.
Your stoma cannot regulate the flow of urine because it lacks a sphincter, a muscle that opens and closes it. The following is how your new urinary system will function:
Your doctor will provide detailed instructions on how to clean and care for your stoma, the surrounding skin, and the pouch following your ureterostomy. You will also be taught how and when to change the pouch.
After the surgery, you should limit activities such as driving and heavy lifting for the first four to six weeks to allow the wound to heal properly. Once healed, you can usually return to your regular activities, including swimming and other water sports. However, your doctor might advise you to avoid high-impact sports like karate or football.
You will learn from your doctor how to take care of a stoma and how to change the pouch on a regular basis. Maintaining the stoma’s cleanliness and dryness is crucial. Each day, you ought to:
When the bladder isn’t functioning properly, a ureterostomy helps to drain urine directly through the ureters. This reduces the risk of kidney damage or failure and helps prevent urinary infections.