Objective: To study the results of balloon nephrostomy urine drainage in the treatment of lower urinary tract fistula.
Material and methods: A series of 10 patients with lower urinary tract fistula was treated by balloon nephrostomy for tumour in eight cases and trauma in two cases with a palliative indication in two patients.
Results: The duration of diversion ranged from seven to 210 days (mean: 55 days). The only incidents observed were three cases of urinary sepsis and four cases of nephrostomy tube or balloon migration. On removal of the nephrostomy, there were no signs of stenosis or other ureteric lesion. Balloon nephrostomy drainage achieved cure of the fistula in four cases, and allowed successful surgical repair in the other cases.
Conclusion: Balloon nephrostomy placement appears to constitute an alternative to surgical repair for lower urinary tract fistula. In the case of failure, it appears to allow surgical repair to be performed under better conditions than in the case of immediate surgery. However, these preliminary results need to be confirmed on larger series.