The Ureteral “J” Sign: Radiographic Demonstration Of Iatrogenic Distal Ureteral Obstruction After Ureteral Reimplantation

Abstract Progressive caliceal and ureteral dilatation in postoperative patients is assumed to be secondary to either postoperative distal ureteral stricture or ureteral atony. Any study used to differentiate obstruction from atony must be done with an awareness of the effect of a full bladder on the upper tracts, since it can by itself produce varying degrees of ureteral dilatation. We describe 2 patients who had virtually complete distal ureteral obstruction on anterograde pyelography with a “J” shaped distal ureteral segment. The striking observation was that the deformity and associated distal ureteral obstruction could be made to appear and disappear at will, merely by distending or emptying the bladder. We believe that this is an important factor in the progressive dilatation, as well as in the observed deterioration of renal function, and it is properly regarded as an iatrogenic complication.