Blind-ending ureteral duplication with calculi.

Blind-ending ureteral duplication is a rare congenital anomaly of the urinary system, with only a few cases reported in the literature.1 The anomaly is diagnosed three times more frequently in women than in men, and twice as often on the right side. It has also been reported in twins and sisters.2 The majority of cases are diagnosed in the third or fourth decade of life. Many of these blind segments cause no problems. Symptomatic patients most often complain of vague abdominal or chronic flank pain, due to complication by infection, calculi or reflux.3 Because of non-filling of the blind ureter on intravenous urography (IVU), the diagnosis of blind-ending ureteral duplication is best made with the help of retrograde pyelography. However, a blind-ending bifid ureter can be opacified on IVU if uretero-ureteral reflux is present. The anomaly can also be seen on computerized tomography.4 We report a case featuring a long, blind-ending ureteral duplication complicated by stone formation.