Factors associated with age at pyeloplasty in children with ureteropelvic junction obstruction

Objectives Our objectives were to: (1) delineate factors associated with surgery at <1 year and (2) determine if early intervention was associated with increased risk of readmission. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of children age 0–18 years with a diagnosis of UPJ obstruction who underwent pyeloplasty from 1/1/1999 to 9/1/2009 using the PHIS database. Data collected included patient factors (race, gender, insurance type, APR-DRG severity of illness) and hospital factors (annual case volume, census region, academic status). Outcomes assessed were: age at surgery and hospital readmission within 1 year of surgery. Data were analyzed using logistic regression and Cox PH for multivariate analyses. Results 4499 children met study criteria. Minority race (OR 1.55), male gender (OR 1.49), public insurance (OR 1.37), high severity of illness (OR 3.60), Southern region (OR 1.44), and low hospital volume (OR 1.37) were significant predictors of early surgery ( p < 0.05). Only early surgery (HR 2.42; 95 % CI 1.67–3.49 2.42) was associated with increased risk of readmission. Conclusions In children with UPJ obstruction, age at surgery is associated with patient demographic and hospital factors. Early surgery is associated with higher rates of readmission, suggesting that variations in age at surgery may be associated with significant differences in outcomes.