bifid ureter
A bifid ureter, or ureter fissus, is an example of incomplete duplication of a duplex collecting system and is an anatomic variant.
Terminology
Multiple seemingly unrelated terms for blind-ending bifid ureters are currently in use and there is no consensus on terminology in the literature. These include bifid ureter with a blind-ending pouch, aborted bifid ureteral diverticulum, and aborted duplication of the collecting system .
Epidemiology
Present in ~5% (range 1-10%) of the population .
Gross anatomy
A bifid ureter is present when there is a duplex kidney (separate pelvicalyceal collecting systems) draining into separate ureters, but the ureters unite before draining into the bladder at a single ureteric orifice .
Rarely, one of the branches of a bifid ureter will be blind-ending and will not unite .
Differential diagnosis
- double ureter: persistent of ureters to drain at separate ureteric orifices in the bladder