What is "ureterocele"

n. (context medicine English) A congenital abnormality of the urinary bladder, in which the distal ureter balloons at its opening into the bladder, forming a pouch.

n. prolapse of the end of the ureter into the bladder; may obstruct urine flow

A ureterocele is a congenital abnormality found in the ureter. In this condition the distal ureter balloons at its opening into the bladder, forming a sac-like pouch. It is most often associated with a duplicated collection system, where two ureters drain their respective kidney instead of one. Simple ureterocele, where the condition involves only a single ureter, represents only twenty percent of cases. Ureterocele affects one in 4,000 individuals, at least four-fifths of whom are female. Patients are frequently Caucasian.

Since the advent of the ultrasound, most ureteroceles are diagnosed prenatally. The pediatric and adult conditions are often found incidentally, i.e. through diagnostic imaging performed for unrelated reasons.