Outcomes of 25 female dogs treated for ectopic ureters by open surgery or cystoscopic‐guided laser ablation

International audience; Objective: To report outcomes after the correction of ectopic ureter (EU) by open surgery or cystoscopic-guided laser ablation (CLA) in female dogs.

Study design: Retrospective study from 2011 to 2018.

Animals: Twenty-five female dogs.

Methods: Data collected included signalment, clinicopathologic data, procedural data, complications, and short-term and long-term outcomes.

Complications were graded as minor or major if a surgical revision was required.

Continence status was scored subjectively (1 = completely incontinent to 10 = fully continent).

Results: Fifteen dogs had bilateral EU and 24 had intramural EU (iEU).

Open surgical correction included 13 neoureterostomies, 2 neocystoureterostomies, and a combination of these in 2 dogs.

Eight dogs underwent CLA.

Eighteen dogs experienced minor complications (72%), and 2 experienced major complications (8%).

One-month postoperative continence was achieved in 20/25 (80%) dogs (median score of 10).

Incontinence recurred at a median time of 24.9 months in 5 dogs but responded to medical treatment.

Overall, dogs remained continent for 66 months (median) and 22/25 (88%) dogs achieved continence with adjunction of medical/surgical treatment in incontinent ones.

Fewer minor complications and postoperative recurrences of incontinence were documented after CLA than neoureterostomy (P < .01 and P < .05).

Conclusion: Ectopic ureter correction by open surgery or CLA resulted in a subjectively good prognosis, most dogs reaching continence within a month of surgery, although incontinence occasionally recurred in the long term.

CLA was associated with fewer complications and incontinence recurrences than neoureterostomy.

Preliminary results of this study were presented at the ECVS congress in Budapest,