Lich-Gregoir anti-reflux operation: a surgical experience and 5-20 years of follow-up in 149 ureters.

The surgical management of vesicoureteral reflux and the choice between the many good procedures available continue to be debated by urologists. The goal of each procedure is to achieve as normal a function of the urinary system as possible, to eliminate urinary tract infections, and thus to prevent further kidney damage. We present our experience in 149 antireflux repair operations with a technique first described by Lich and Gregoir in 1961. The follow-up in this study is 5-20 years, throughout which recurrent infections, reflux and other operative complications have carefully been considered. The success rate of this operation was 92.5%, with an additional 3.75% success in repair operations. Discussion and evaluation of other repair methods are reviewed but, in our opinion the Lich-Gregoir technique, because of its simplicity, should be the method of choice and should be used more by urologists.