The appendix as right ureteral substitute in children

Purpose: The appendix has occasionally been used to replace sections of the right ureter. We reviewed the literature of the last 25 years on the use of the appendix as right ureteral replacement and report our experience with right ureteral substitution using the appendix. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 3 children who underwent appendiceal replacement of the right ureter. The appendix replaced the upper third of the ureter and the lower ureter in 1 and 2 cases, respectively. Results: Followups of 4, 7 and 15 years, respectively, demonstrated that the appendix transports urine satisfactorily and permits renal function to be maintained with no evidence of obstruction. Conclusions: We believe that our small series supports the use of the appendix as a right ureteral substitute in select cases.