Purpose: Although laparoscopic pyeloplasty has gained popularity, to our knowledge no multi-institutional study has evaluated the prevalence of this approach in children. We used a multicenter database to determine trends in the treatment of congenital ureteropelvic junction obstruction.
Materials and methods: The Pediatric Health Information System database contains data on 37 freestanding hospitals for children across the United States. We extracted data on 0 to 19-year-old patients from 2001 to 2006 with the ICD-9 diagnosis code for congenital ureteropelvic junction obstruction and the procedure code for the correction of ureteropelvic junction obstruction. We identified laparoscopic cases based on hospital charges for 1) laparoscope, 2) trocar, 3) insufflating needle or 4) insufflator and tubing. Data were then analyzed using the chi-square and Student t tests to determine management trends.
Results: We identified 2,353 patients, of whom 2,177 (92.5%) underwent open pyeloplasty and 176 (7.5%) underwent laparoscopic pyeloplasty. The percent of pediatric pyeloplasties performed laparoscopically increased from 2001 to 2003 (2.53% to 9.73%) and has since remained stable. Patients undergoing laparoscopic pyeloplasty were significantly older than those in the open group (age 8.2 vs 3.3 years, p <0.0001). Average hospital charges were significantly higher in the laparoscopic group than in the open group ($23,295.71 vs $16,467.49, p <0.05). There was no significant difference in terms of race, gender or length of stay.
Conclusions: The percent of pediatric pyeloplasties performed laparoscopically has increased with time. However, laparoscopic pyeloplasty is associated with higher hospital charges than open surgery without a significant decrease in length of stay.