An ectopic ureter is a heritable condition that, genetically speaking, is characterized as autosomal dominant: If a woman gives birth to a child who has an ectopic ureter, future children have a 50 percent chance of having an ectopic ureter as well. Ectopic ureter, including its pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, evaluation, and management will be reviewed here. Developed by renowned radiologists in each specialty, STATdx provides comprehensive decision support you can rely on - Ureteral Ectopia The most common is a kink in the ureter where it meets the dilated renal pelvis. ECTOPIC URETERS . Ultrasound is less invasive to the patient than the I.V.P.

An ectopic ureter is a congenital renal anomaly that occurs as a result of abnormal caudal migration of the ureteral bud during its insertion to the urinary bladder.
Normally the ureter drains via the internal ureteral orifice at the trigone of the urinary bladder.. The ureters are tubes made of smooth muscle that propel urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder.In the human adult, the ureters are usually 25–30 cm (10–12 in) long and around 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) in diameter. Point-of-care ultrasonography users should note the differential hydronephrosis between upper and lower renal poles and may visualize duplicate or ectopic ureteronephrosis or ureterocele. Ectopic Ureter Causes and Symptoms. Duplicated ureter should be considered in patients with recurrent urinary tract infections or enuresis. Ectopic ureteroceles, while not uncommon in children, have been reported only rarely in adults. In females, an ectopic ureter can insert on the bladder neck, upper urethra, uterus, cervix, or vagina (26,28). Girls may have urinary incontinence with persistent dribbling when the ectopic ureter opens into the urethra distal to the sphincter. Congenital anomalies of the lower urinary tract are a significant cause of morbidity in infancy.

If the ureter is distended (often the case with ectopic ureters), this could be seen using ultrasound. The normal ureter is too small to be seen with ultrasound but the tiny squirt of urine from the ureter into the bladder is generally visible. PATHOPHYSIOLOGY An ectopic ureter forms when the origin of the ureteral bud from the mesonephric duct is abnormally high, and separation of the bud from the duct is delayed or does not occur ( figure 1 ) [ 1 ]. An ectopic ureter is defined by an abnormal distal insertion site outside the bladder trigone (26,30). Female dogs are known to be 20X more likely to be diagnosed with ectopic ureters with certain breeds more presented including but not limited to Golden and Labrador retrievers, Skye Terriers, etc.