I was born with bilateral ureterocele and have been experiencing flank pain, especially on the left side, which gets worse when I drink more water. So far, I haven't had any treatment for it. Do I need surgery to fix this? Could it lead to chronic kidney failure if I don't get it treated now? What are the risks or complications if I do go through with the surgery?

Dr Kamran Mohammed

General Practitioner

• MBBS
• FIDM
• 5+ Yrs

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A ureterocele is a dilation of the area where the ureter inserts into the bladder. Ureteroceles are a congenital abnormality which means they are present at birth. It is thought to be due to an abnormality of the formation of the ureter tube as it inserts into the bladder. Ureteroceles occur in about one of every 1000 births and are more common in a duplex kidney, which is a kidney with two ureters that drain into the bladder. If the ureterocele is associated with a duplex kidney, it is the ureter that drains the upper part of the kidney that has the ureterocele. Kidneys that have a ureterocele often are dilated and can have obstruction to urine flow. Ureteroceles are often diagnosed by prenatal ultrasound where a dilated ureter and kidney (or upper part of a kidney) and a cystic structure (the ureterocele) in the bladder is seen. Ureteroceles can also be found by ultrasound after a child has a urinary tract infection or other reason to obtain a renal ultrasound. If the child presents with a urinary tract infection, they may have fever, chills, flank pain, pain with urination, or other urinary symptoms.

A ureterocele is most commonly diagnosed by ultrasound. Treatment:

In older children, ureteroceles are sometimes treated differently depending on how well the kidney functions, how big the ureterocele is, how severe the dilation of the ureter and kidney is, whether the kidney is a duplex kidney, and whether the other ureter in a duplex kidney has reflux. Treatment options range from observation to several types of reconstructive surgery for the urinary tract. Your urologist will discuss these options with you.

Ureteroceles are treated for several reasons. Ureteroceles are believed to increase the risk of urinary tract infection. Ureteroceles often cause obstruction of urine flow from the kidney to the bladder which can damage the kidney over time. Occasionally, ureteroceles are so large that they block urine flow from the other kidney or they block urine flow from the bladder out the urethra. Consult urologist for furthur evaluation and treatment.

Answered 14/08/2025