Is extracorporeal lithotripsy a first-line treatment for urinary stones today?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and complications of extracorporeal lithotripsy (SWL) as a first-line treatment for renal and ureteral stones METHODS: Retrospective and observational study of all the patients treated with lithotripsy in a third level center between January 2014 and January 2021; characteristics of the patients, the stones, complications and results of SWL is recollected. Multivariate logistic regression of the factors associated with stone size reduction was performed. A statistical analysis of the factors associated with additional treatment after SWL and factors associated with complications is also executed. RESULTS: 1727 patients are included. Stone mean size was 9,5mm. 1540 (89.4%) patients presented reduction in stone size. In multivariate analysis, stone size (OR=1.13; p=0.00), ureteral location of the lithiasis (OR=1.15; p=0.052) and number of waves (p=0.002; OR=1.00) used in SWL are the factors associated with reduction of stone size. Additional treatment after lithotripsy was needed in 665 patients (38.5%). The factors associated with the need for retreatment were stone size (OR=1.131; p=0.000), number of waves (OR=1.000; p=0.000), energy (OR=1.005; p=0.000). 153 patients (8.8%) suffered complications after SWL. A statistically significant association was found between the size of the lithiasis (p=0.024, OR=1.054) and the previous urinary diversion (P=0.004, OR=0.571). CONCLUSION: Lithotripsy remains an effective treatment as the first line of therapy for reno-ureteral lithiasis with a low percentage of complications.

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for lower calyx stones: predicting treatment success.

INTRODUCTION: The use of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) for lower calyx stones is associated with a high rate of residual fragments. Our aim is to analyse the effectiveness and complications of ESWL for lower calyx stones. METHODS: Retrospective review of patients with lower renal calyx stones treated with ESWL between January-2014 and December-2020. Measurement of infundibular length, infundibular width and infundibulopelvic angle in lower renal pole to determine favourable anatomy. ESWL failure: fragments >3 mm detected in plain abdominal film, CT scan and/or renal ultrasound 3 months after treatment. Complications after ESWL, auxiliary procedures along with risk factors associated with perirenal haematoma were analysed. SPSS statistical software was used. RESULTS: 512 patients with lower calyx stones were treated with ESWL. 80.3% of patients had a favourable anatomy. Overall stone-free rate was 70.5%. Regarding main complications after ESWL, stainstrasse was described in 5 patients and urinary tract infection in 3 patients. 10 perirenal haematomas (2%) were reported. Statistical association was found between antiplatelet treatment and the risk of perirenal haematoma (p = 0.004). Logistic binary regression proved the association between unfavourable anatomy of the lower renal pole (p = 0.000), size of the stone (p = 0.001), number of shock waves (p = 0.003), energy applied (p = 0.038) and the need for additional treatment after ESWL. CONCLUSIONS: ESWL can still be considered as the initial treatment option for lower renal pole stones. The size of the stone, an unfavourable anatomy of the lower renal calyx, number of shock waves and energy applied can help predict the need for additional treatment.

[Lessons learned after the disruption caused by COVID-19 in the management of urolithiasis: An example of adaptation in a high-volume center]. / Lecciones aprendidas sobre el manejo de la urolitiasis tras los perjuicios causados por la COVID-19: un ejemplo de adaptación en un centro de alto volumen.

Introduction: The aim was to determine the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on urolithiasis presentation and management. Methods: In this retrospective study, we comparatively evaluated urgent and elective procedures due to urolithiasis during the early 8 months of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 1, 2020, to October 31, 2020) compared to the same period a year before, and between waves. Fisher's exact test, Student's t-test, chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare the patients' characteristics and outcomes between the 2 periods and waves. Results: Five hundred and thirty procedures were included. The overall numbers of surgical procedures due to urolithiasis were similar between pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. Regarding elective surgery, our data draw attention to the increased complication rate in the pandemic times, but no statistically significant differences in terms of types of procedures and need for complementary treatments were observed. We noted that patterns of presentation of complicated renal colic were different during COVID-19 pandemic, with a higher number of days after the onset of symptoms and a higher proportion of patients presenting acute kidney injury. Furthermore, a significant increase of creatinine levels at presentation in first wave was detected, and a growth in the number of urgent procedures after the first wave was noted, owing to the delay in urolithiasis treatment and diagnosis. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected both urgent and elective management of urolithiasis. Lessons about the management of urolithiasis in this context should be learned to avoid fatal complications and improve standards of care.

Lessons learned after the disruption caused by COVID-19 in the management of urolithiasis: An example of adaptation in a high-volume center.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to determine the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on urolithiasis presentation and management. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we comparatively evaluated urgent and elective procedures due to urolithiasis during the early eight months of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 1, 2020, to October 31, 2020) compared to the same period a year before, and between waves. The student's t-test, chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher's exact test were used to compare the patients' characteristics and outcomes between the two periods and waves. RESULTS: Five hundred and thirty procedures were included. The overall numbers of surgical procedures due to urolithiasis were similar between pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. Regarding elective surgery, our data draw attention to the increased complication rate in the pandemic times, but no statistically significant differences in terms of types of procedures and need for complementary treatments were observed. We noted that patterns of presentation of complicated renal colic were different during COVID-19 pandemic, with a higher number of days after the onset of symptoms and a higher proportion of patients presenting acute kidney injury. Furthermore, a significant increase of creatinine levels at presentation in first wave was detected, and a growth in the number of urgent procedures after the first wave was noted, owing to the delay in urolithiasis treatment and diagnosis. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected both urgent and elective management of urolithiasis. Lessons about the management of urolithiasis in this context should be learned to avoid fatal complications and improve standards of care.

Metabolic syndrome in calcium oxalate stones: Is it so important in this type of lithiasis?

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: The association of the metabolic syndrome with lithogenesis has been described, especially in uric acid stones. The aim of the work was to analyze the role of the metabolic syndrome in oxalocalcic lithogenesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Metabolic evaluation of 151 patients including biochemical, hormonal and 24-urine urine parameters, as well as characteristics associated with metabolic syndrome. The relationship between the characteristics associated with the metabolic syndrome and those related to lithogenesis was evaluated using Spearman's correlation coefficient (SCC), Student's t test and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: The average body mass index (BMI) was 25.9 (SD 3.7). The median age was 51 years (18.6-84.8) and 64.9% were men. There were no statistically significant differences between hypertension and estradiol, testosterone, triglycerides or cholesterol (P=.191, .969, .454, .345, respectively). Regarding glucose, the mean was 114.5 and 93.5mg/dl in patients with and without hypertension (P=.000). The levels of glucose, estradiol, testosterone or cholesterol did not vary with proteinuria (P=.518, P=.227, P=.095, P=.218, respectively). The mean triglycerides were 185.6 and 108.2mg/dl in patients with and without proteinuria (P=.001). Hypertension and proteinuria were not associated (P=.586). BMI correlated with serum and urinary uric acid and urinary creatinine. CONCLUSIONS: There are few associations between the characteristics of the metabolic syndrome and the anomalies related to lithogenesis. Metabolic syndrome does not seem to have a relevant role in the development of oxalocalcic stones.

Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis: a focus on microbiological and antibiotic resistance profiles.

BACKGROUND: Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis (XGP) is an inflammatory condition of the kidney and its treatment most often involves a combination of antibiotics and nephrectomy. This study aimed to define the clinical features and management of XGP, focusing on microbiological aspects and antibiotic therapy. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of 27 cases of XGP diagnosed between January 2001 and January 2020 to analyse their clinical and management characteristics. In addition, a literature review was conducted of XGP case series covering the period from 2000-2020. We searched PubMed for case series through April 2020 without language restrictions. Studies reporting case series of XGP (more than ten cases) were included if they were relevant to this study. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients were diagnosed with XGP, and 26 of them were histologically proven to have XGP. A total of 81.5% of the patients were female and the mean age was 59.6 years (SD 19.2). The most frequent symptoms were flank pain (70.4%) and fever (59.3%), while 77.8% of patients had renal stones. Proteus mirabilis was detected in the urine culture in 18.5% of patients, followed by detection of Escherichia coli in 14.8% of patients. The computed tomography (CT) findings included perirenal (29.6%) or pararenal (29.6%) involvement in the majority of patients. Twenty-six patients underwent nephrectomy. Piperacillin/tazobactam and ceftriaxone were the most commonly prescribed antibiotics for treatment. The reported piperacillin/tazobactam and ceftriaxone resistance rates were 14.3% and 16.6%, respectively. Twenty-six case series were included in the literature review, reporting 693 cases in total. CONCLUSION: We found well-established characteristics of XGP patients among series in terms of previous history, clinical, laboratory and imaging findings, and operative and postoperative outcomes. It is important to know the clinical presentation and potential severity of XGP, as well as the most frequently involved microorganisms and their antibiotic resistance profiles, to select the most appropriate antibiotic therapy.

Intraparenchymal renal artery pseudoaneurysm following nephrostomy tube insertion in a patient with a solitary kidney: A case report.

Intraparenchymal renal artery aneurysms are uncommon and represent less than 10% of all renal artery aneurysms. They are caused by trauma or iatrogenic injury, and their rupture can lead to life-threatening hemorrhage. We report the case of a 48-year-old male with history of left solitary kidney and orthotopic neobladder, who presented with massive hematuria 7 days after nephrostomy tube placement because of obstructive uropathy and acute renal failure due to ureteroileal stricture. An abdominal CT angiography revealed an intraparenchymal renal artery aneurysm, and it was successfully treated with superselective endovascular embolization, achieving maximal parenchymal preservation.

Urinary sepsis after endourological ureterorenoscopy for the treatment of lithiasis. / Sepsis urinaria tras tratamiento endourológico de la litiasis por ureterorrenoscopia.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence, clinical presentation and factors associated with the development of urinary sepsis after performing ureterorenoscopy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective study of patients undergoing ureterorenoscopy for the treatment of lithiasis between July 2015 and October 2017. Patients who developed urinary sepsis during the 30 days following the intervention were identified. Personal, clinical, surgical and microbiological backgrounds were collected. Statistical analysis was performed with the Chi squared test (or Fisher's exact test), Student's t (or U Mann-Whitney) or logistic regression as appropriate. RESULTS: 246 ureterorenoscopies were performed, 184 (74.8%) on ureteral stones and 62 (25.2%) on kidney stones, with a mean age of 52 (44.5-59.5) years. After procedure, 18 (7.3%) patients developed urinary sepsis, 10 of them (55.5%) occurred in the first 24h. The urine culture showed enterobacteria (61.1%) and enterococci (38.9%). The antibiogram showed greater sensitivity to nitrofurantoins (100%) and quinolones (72%). The statistical analysis showed that female sex, the clinical debut of urolithiasis as urinary sepsis, having received antibiotic or having required urinary diversion by a double J during debut, positive presurgical uroculture and the persistence of residual lithiasis after surgery were significantly associated (P<.05) with the development of urinary sepsis after ureterorenoscopy. CONCLUSION: Urinary sepsis is a complication that appears after performing ureterorenoscopy, especially in female patients with a history of urinary sepsis, antibiotic therapy, double J, previous positive urine culture or residual lithiasis after the procedure.

Comparison between percutaneous nephrolithotomy and flexible ureteroscopy for the treatment of 2 and 3cm renal lithiasis. / Comparación entre nefrolitotomía percutánea y ureteroscopia flexible para el tratamiento de litiasis renales de entre 2 y 3cm.

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVES: The first-line treatment for >2cm lithiasis is percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL), leaving flexible ureteroscopy (fURS) as a second option. In the present review, the stone-free rate and the complications of both techniques were evaluated in the treatment of 2-3cm stones. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Systematic review of studies that compared both techniques. Studies that were not comparative, as well as those carried out in the pediatric population or with <2cm or>3cm stones, were excluded. Two researchers independently performed the investigation, obtaining 5 studies that made up a total of 815 patients: 252 belonged to the fURS group and 563 to the PNL group. Four studies were retrospective, and one was non-randomized prospective. RESULTS: Stone-free rate ranged between 47.0% and 95.0% for the fURS and between 87.0% and 100% for the PNL. The complication rate was 8.8-29.0% in the fURS and 11.9-27.0% in the PNL. fURS required a greater number of procedures, and had a lower decrease in haemoglobin and creatinine rise compared to PNL. CONCLUSIONS: The stone-free rate was higher for PNL, although the fURS could reach comparable results at the expense of performing several procedures. Both techniques have a similar frequency of complications, but the PNL has more postsurgical analytical alterations.

Renal cell carcinoma with vascular invasion: Mortality and prognostic factors. / Carcinoma de células renales con invasión vascular: mortalidad y factores pronósticos.

OBJECTIVE: Analysis of the results of patients who had been operated of renal cell carcinoma with vascular invasion in our institution, evaluation of prognostic factors and complications. METHODS: Retrospective observational study of 37 patients diagnosed of renal cell carcinoma with vascular invasion operated between May 1999 and July 2013. We used the method of Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and the Mantel-Haenszel's test (log rank) and the Cox's proportional hazards analysis test to analyse the risk factors of mortality. RESULTS: The median age was 60 years. Mean follow-up period was 42.1 months. The median overall survival and disease-free survival were 53.8and 36.3 months, respectively. There was statistical association between overall survival and ASA (p=0.047), tumor stage (p=0.003), lymph node involvement (p=0.024), presence of metastases (p=0.013), level of tumor thrombus (p=0, 05) and histological type (p=0.001). 14 patients had grade IIIb complications or higher according to the Clavien Dindo classification, the most frequent was bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: Renal cell carcinoma with vascular invasion is a disease with high rate of mortality. Surgery is a therapeutic option that can be curative. The number of complications is important. Survival is conditioned by the ASA, tumor stage, the level of tumor thrombus, lymph node involvement, metastasis and histological type.

[The use of ureteral stents and catheters in renal transplantation.] / Empleo de catéteres y stents ureterales en el trasplante renal.

Mayor urological complications, fistulae and stenosis, mainly affect the vesicoureteral anastomosis and present in the early post-transplant period. The systematic use of ureteral catheters keeps selecbeing controversial with many groups using them only selectively depending on the existence of pretransplant or intraoperative risk factors. METHODS: We performed a bibliographic review through automatized search in the Medline bibliographic database, as the main bibliographic source, and also in Clinical Key. The search strategy included the following terms: "stent" AND "kidney transplantation". RESULTS: The bibliographic search revealed the protective effect of the use of ureteral catheters in the transplant ureteroneocystostomy for both development of fistulae (RR 0.29, 0.12 to 0.74, p=0.009) and stenosis (RR 0.27, 0.09 to 0.81, p=0.02). The use of catheters in immunosuppressed patients was associated with significant increase of the incidence of post-transplant urinary tract infections (RR 1.49 IC 95% 1.04 to 2.15, p=0.03) that was prevented by antibiotic prophylaxis with cotrimoxazole directed against pneumocistis carinii. The rates of permeability of self-expandable metallic stents and extra-anatomic bypasses in the treatment of ureteral stenosis after renal transplantation in high surgical risk patients or after the failure of previous surgery, has varied from 50% to 100%, with a limited number of patients included. CONCLUSIONS: The use of ureteral catheters in the extravesical ureteroneocystostomy reduces the incidence of anastomotic complications. Surgery is the treatment of choice of post-transplant ureteral stenosis. The use of metallic stents and extra-anatomic bypasses should be limited to complex ureteral stenosis when primary therapy has failed, in high surgical risk patients or chronic graft dysfunction.