1 Department of Radiology, Primary Health Care Center "Novi Sad", Novi Sad 21000, Serbia.
2 Center of Radiology, Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Novi Sad 21000, Serbia.
3 Center for Radiology, Institute for Pulmonary Diseases of Vojvodina, Sremska Kamenica 21208, Serbia.
*Correspondence: Department of Radiology, Primary Health Care Center "Novi Sad", Novi Sad 21000, Serbia.
Tel: +38 163 523767. E-mail: grujicnada@yahoo.com.
Received July 2015 & Accepted February 2016

PICTORIAL

Unilateral Blind Ending Ureter with Vesicoureteral Reflux and Associated Renal Agenesis -Multidetector 
Computed Tomography Imaging Findings

Nada G. Vasić,1* Olivera Nikolić,2 Tatjana Bošković3

A 50-year old woman was admitted to emergency room due to an episode of recurrent renal colic. Double-J ureteral stent has been placed several weeks earlier due to mild hydronephrosis of the left kidney. She had a 
history of urinary tract infections and poorly defined abdominal pain.
 Abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan revealed normal left kidney and normal left urinary tract without 
calculi, presence of double-J ureteral stent and absent right kidney (Figure 1 - Coronal multiplanar reformatted 
image). Excretory phase of CT scan showed retrograde opacification of distal, blind-ending, nondilatated, nonob-
structed right ureteral stump. Visualized structures suggested remnant of the incompletely developed right ureteral 
bud, with normal position of the right ureteral orifice (Figure 2A, Coronal curved-planar reformatted and 

Figure 1. Abdominal computed tomography scan (Coronal multiplanar 
reformatted image) shows normal left kidney and normal left urinary 
tract without calculi, presence of double-J ureteral stent and absent right 
kidney.

Figure 2. Excretory phase of computed tomography scan demonstrates retrograde opacification of distal, blind-ending, 
nondilatated, nonobstructed right ureteral stump. Visualized structures suggested remnant of the incompletely devel-
oped right ureteral bud, with normal position of the right ureteral orifice. A) Coronal curved-planar reformatted; B) 
Volume-rendered image.

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Figure 2B, Volume-rendered image).
Most blind-ending ureters are detected incidentally and 
are clinically insignificant.(1) In some cases, though, 
they may induce recurrent urinary tract infections, renal 
colic or poorly defined abdominal pain due to present-
ed vesicoureteral reflux.(2) Presence of calculi in blind 
ending urethral bud has been described with the patient 
having overactive bladder syndrome and dyspareunia.(3)

CONFLICT OF INTEREST
None declared.

REFERENCES
 1.  Floyd MS Jr, Scally J, Irwin PP. Incidental 

detection of a unilateral dilated blind-ending 
ureter, renal agenesis, and a dilated seminal 
vesicle. Urol J. 2012;9:639.

 2.  Rathi V. A blind-ending ureter with infection 
due to vesicoureteric reflux with associated 
renal agenesis: A rare cause of pain abdomen. 
Urol Ann. 2011;3:100-2.

 3.  Wiedemann A, Kociszewski J, Gumprich T, 
Füsgen I. Calculi in a blindly ending ureteric 
bud - an unusual cause for an overactive 
bladder syndrome and dyspareunia. Aktuel 
Urol. 2011;42:193-6.

Unilateral Blind Ending Ureter and Renal Agenesis-Vasić et al.