Incidence of urinary tract infection in neonates with antenatally diagnosed ureteroceles

Purpose: To evaluate the incidence of neonatal urinary tract infection (UTI ) in the presence of a ureterocele. Patients and methods: Fifteen successive patients with antenatally detected ureteroceles were reviewed between 1991 and 1996. Sixten ureteroceles were treated tin one patient they were bilateral). Seven ureteroceles were intr avesical, and nine were ectopic. Fourteen patients had a duplex upper tract associated with a ureterocele. One patient had one duplex upper tract and one simple upper tract, both associated with a ureterocele. Results: Of the fifteen neonates with a ureterocele, eight already had a UT I on admission. Of these, three had had prophylactic antibiotics. Of the ei ght infected patients, seven were symptomatic (three with septicaemia). Conclusion: If diagnosed antenatally, obstruction has to be relieved as ear ly as possible during the first week of life as antibiotic prophylaxis aton e is not sufficient to avoid UTI in these patients. The authors point out t he high frequency of UTI in patients with ureterocele.