After reviewing the history and technique used for transureteral cutaneous ureterostomy, the authors describe 5 cases treated by this method during the 3-year period, 1975--1977. This prodecure has many advantages when compared to the transintestinal cutaneous ureterostomy as described by Bricker, uteterosigmoidoscopy, and "double-barreleed" cutaneous ureterostomy. The authors conclude that transureteral cutaneous ureterostomy should be performed in cases of ureteropyelocalicial distention with renal failure from operable or inoperable bladder cancer, in women with inoperable or recurrent tumors of the genital organs and vesicovaginal, vesicourethrovaginal or vesicorectovaginal fistulae, and in patients with a neurological bladder. They propose that this surgical technique be known as "Y-shaped cutaneous ureterostomy" instead of transureteral cutaneous ureterostomy because of its similarity to the method of Roux for Y-shaped digestive tract anastomoses, and because this new terminology is simpler and describes the operative procedure in a clearer manner.