Laparoscopic management of symptomatic urachus remnants in adults: A retrospective study

Abstract

Aim: To report our experience in the laparoscopic management of symptomatic urachal remnants (URs) in adults. Patients and Methods: A retrospective study included all patients who underwent laparoscopic excision of URs during the period January 2015–January 2020. The following data were retrieved from the files of the patients: demographic data, clinical presentations, intra-operative findings, the procedure performed, operative details, intraoperative or post-operative complications and follow-up period mentioned in the files for those patients. Results: The study included 10 patients (four males and six females) with a mean age of 27.8 ± 11.0 years. URs were discovered preoperatively in all patients except one patient who was diagnosed intraoperatively. URs were associated with other pathologies in four patients (40%) that required two simultaneous surgical procedures. Eight patients (80%) presented with simple umbilical discharge and were diagnosed easily by ultrasonography. All patients were managed successfully with laparoscopic excision and umbilical sparing technique. Excision of the dome of the bladder was done on the selective approach to one patient. No patients showed early post-operative complications. Only one patient had stitch sinus 6 months postoperatively due to a concomitant hernia repair rather than due to the excision of the URs. Conclusions: Laparoscopic excision of symptomatic urachus is a feasible procedure even when the excision of the bladder is required. It could be performed successfully with other pathologies. It is associated with a low incidence of complications. Laparoscopy allows good visualisation and complete excision that leads to almost no recurrence rate.

Keywords

• laparoscopy
• patent urachus
• umbilical discharge
• urachal cyst