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Research & Innovation
It starts with a Q:
For the latest cutting-edge research, innovative collaborations and remarkable discoveries in child health, read stories from across all our areas of study in Q: Advances and Answers in Pediatric Health.
Urology
Ureterocele
We specialize in the big things, the small things and everything in between.
What is ureterocele?
An ureterocele is a congenital abnormality. It is a ballooning of the ureter at the bladder level. This ballooning can cause an obstruction that prevents urine from draining from the kidney, through the ureter and into the bladder.
Ureteroceles are most often associated with duplex collecting system, instead of a single collecting system. A duplex collecting system is when there are two ureters draining from both the upper and lower segments of a kidney into the bladder. The ureterocele usually occurs only in one of the ureters, the ureter draining the upper part of the kidney. A single collecting system has a single ureter draining the kidney.
What causes ureterocele?
The cause of ureteroceles is unknown and there is no known prevention for this condition.
Who gets ureterocele?
Ureteroceles run in families, so there is a genetic component.
What are the signs and symptoms of ureterocele?
Usually an ureterocele has no symptoms. It is often detected prenatally, before the child is born. However, patients suffering from urinary tract infections caused by ureteroceles can experience flank pain, painful urination, irritability, fussiness, fever and/or foul-smelling urine.
What tests are used to diagnose ureterocele?
A ureterocele can often be diagnosed pre-birth by a prenatal ultrasound; however, it may not be identified until the child has a urinary tract infection and imaging such as a renal ultrasound or VCUG is performed.
If your child is diagnosed prenatally, you may contact Children's Hospital Colorado Urology Department prior to, or immediately after, your child’s birth. If your child is not diagnosed at birth and has multiple urinary tract infections, contact the Urology Department for further evaluation at the recommendation of your primary care physician.
How do doctors at Children's Colorado make a diagnosis?
The diagnosis is usually made prenatally and confirmed postnatally with a renal ultrasound scan. Once diagnosed, it is usually necessary to perform a VCUG to look for reflux of urine, which commonly occurs in patients with an ureterocele. In addition, a MAG 3 renogram (a special scan of the kidneys) is needed to evaluate the function in the kidney and how well each part of the kidney is working.
How is ureterocele treated?
Treatment of an ureterocele is dependent on the child's age, overall health, medical history and extent of the condition. Treatment options can include a minimally-invasive surgery which decompresses the ureterocele or removes the ureterocele sac entirely. More extensive surgery may be necessary if function of the kidney has been reduced.
Why choose Children's Colorado for your child's ureterocele?
At Children's Colorado, we have experts in fetal medicine who can diagnose ureteroceles early in pregnancy and ensure the most appropriate care. Once the diagnosis is confirmed following delivery, we have experts who are actively involved in both the care of children with this condition and performing research to ensure that care continues to improve.
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Get to know our pediatric experts.
Duncan Wilcox, MD
Urology - Pediatric
Jeff Campbell, MD
Urology - Pediatric, Urology
Brian Miller, PA-C
Physician Assistant
Marguerite Korber, CPNP-PC
Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner