Endopyelotomy

An endopyelotomy is a type of surgery to open up an obstruction in your kidney. We can either approach the kidney through the percutaneous nephrostomy tube from the outside (antegrade endopyelotomy) or through the urine channel and urinary bladder, then up through the ureter (retrograde endopyelotomy).

Getting Ready for Surgery

You will need to do bowel prep the day before your surgery. See below for details.

Day Before Surgery

• Eat a light breakfast and lunch, avoid greasy foods and red meat.

• Drink only clear liquids after lunch until midnight.

  • Water

  • Broth 

  • Juice without pulp (apple, grape, cranberry)

  • Popsicles

  • Clear Jell-O® (must be homemade, not premade; no fruit, etc, in it)

  • Sparkling water or soda

  • Weak coffee or tea, no creamer; sugar or sugar substitute is ok.

  • Gatorade®

• After lunch, do not eat solid food or drink juice with pulp, dairy products, or alcohol.

• _____ At 2:00 pm, drink magnesium citrate 10 oz. (1 bottle; any flavor). Drink 1 liter of a sport-type drink with electrolytes (Gatorade®) before midnight. You should keep drinking clear liquid up until midnight. Do not eat or drink after midnight.

• Shower before bed with antibacterial soap.

Day of Surgery

Shower again with antibacterial soap before you come to the hospital.

After Surgery

• You will be in the hospital for 1 – 2 days.

• You will go home with a stent in place. The stent will stay in for 4-6 weeks. You will be on antibiotics while the stent is in.

• You may have blood in your urine. This is normal.

Pain

You may have pain for 1 – 3 weeks. We will prescribe pain pills for you.

Diet

You will go home on a regular diet. It is important to drink plenty of fluids daily. A diet with fiber and water may help prevent constipation.

Activity

• Do not lift more than 10 pounds for 4 weeks.

• Avoid strenuous activity for 4 weeks.

• You may drive after 1 week.

• You may return to work in 2 weeks.

Follow-Up

You will have a follow-up visit in 6 weeks. We will remove your stent at this visit.

When to Call 

• Fever greater than 100.5°F by mouth for 2 readings, taken 4 hours apart.

• Pain not controlled by pain medicine.

• Nausea and vomiting that does not go away.

• Low amount of urine or trouble passing urine.

• Severe burning with urination.

• Bloody urine that you cannot see through or large blood clots.

Who to Call

UW Health- Urology
608-263-4757

East Madison Hospital- Urology
608-440-6464

1 S. Park Medical Center- Urology
608-287-2900

After hours, nights, weekends, and holidays, the clinic number is answered by the paging operator. Ask for the urology doctor on call. Leave your name and phone number with the area code. The doctor will call you back.

Toll Free: 1-844-607-4800

If you are a patient receiving care at UnityPoint – Meriter, Swedish American or a health system outside of UW Health, please use the phone numbers provided in your discharge instructions for any questions or concerns.