[Safety and efficiency of retrograde intrarenal surgery without X-ray guidance].

INTRODUCTION: The main stages of flexible ureteroscopy in patients with renal stones are usually performed under X-ray guidance. Long-term exposure of ionizing radiation can have negative effects on the patients with nephrolithiasis and the operating team. AIM: To study the results of retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) without fluoroscopic guidance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The results of flexible ureteroscopy (fURS) without X-ray-guidance in 76 patients were analyzed. There were 46 (53.3%) men and 30 (46.7%) women. The average age was 50.4+/-14.6 years. All patients underwent laboratory tests and non-contrast-enhanced computed tomography to determine the size and density of the stone. In all cases, preoperative ureteral stenting was performed. The average stone size was 10.5+/-4.2 mm. First, ureteroscopy with a rigid endoscope was done to assess the ureter and determine the depth of the introducing ureteral access sheath. After removing the ureteroscope along the guidewire, a ureteral access sheath was put at this distance. An inspection of the collecting system and laser fragmentation of kidney stones were performed using a flexible ureteroscope. In 64 (84.2%) patients, a 4.7 Ch stent was put at the end of the procedure, while in the remaining 12 (15.8%) patients, a ureteral catheter was left for 1-2 days. The operation time, stone-free rate, and the number of intra- and postoperative complications were studied. RESULTS: All fURS were successful and performed without X-ray guidance. The average operation time was 42.5+/-8.0 minutes. After the first session, stone-free rate was 92.1% (70/76). In 6 (7.9%) cases, residual stones were found, which were completely removed after the second session. Intraoperative complications, namely perforation of the upper calyx by the distal end of the ureteral access sheath, were observed in 2 (2.6%) patients, which did not require any additional interventions. Postoperative complications occurred in 10 (13.2%) patients, including fever in 6 (7.9%) and hematuria in 4 (5.3%) cases. There were no serious complications, such as ureteral perforation or sepsis, and no blood transfusion was performed. CONCLUSION: Flexible ureteroscopy with laser lithotripsy can be performed safely and effectively without X-ray guidance.

Novel approach to vaginal calculus in a girl with urogenital sinus anomaly.

Isolated urogenital sinus can cause distended bladder and/or vagina and may present with an abdominal mass and sepsis during infancy. Older children may present with recurrent urinary tract infections and hematocolpos. We describe a 3-year-old girl with recurrent urinary tract infections thought to be secondary to vesicoureteric reflux. On further investigation, an isolated urogenital sinus anomaly with a calculus inside one of the hemivaginae was noted. She was managed expectantly with a plan to intervene at puberty. At puberty, during removal of the stone, the hemivaginal introitus was found to be stenotic. Gradually increasing sizes of Amplatz type graduated renal dilators were introduced from the introitus of the urogenital sinus into the hemivaginal stone until a size 22F Amplatz sheath could be passed easily. Size 10F cystoscope was passed through this channel, and the stone was fragmented using electrohydraulic lithotripsy. At a later date, she underwent staged anterior sagittal transvulval mobilization of the urogenital sinus.

Update on Surgical Management of Pediatric Urolithiasis.

Urolithiasis has always been a fascinating disease, even more so in children. There are many intriguing facets to this pathology. This article is a nonsystematic review to provide an update on the surgical management of pediatric urolithiasis. It highlights the pros and cons of various minimally invasive surgical options such as extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL), retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS), percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), laparoscopy, and robotics. This article also describes the various intracorporeal disintegration technologies available to fragment the stone, including the newer advancements in laser technology. It also emphasizes the cost considerations especially with reference to the emerging economies. Thus, this manuscript guides how to select the least-invasive option for an individual patient, considering age and gender; stone size, location, and composition; and facilities and expertise available.

Intracorporeal lithotripsy.

Since the introduction of ESWL, PNL and URS during the early 1980s the application rate of ESWL has declined while those of PNL and URS have increased. This is mainly due to the facts that instruments and techniques for Intracorporeal Lithotripsy (IL) have made a continuous progress. This review shows that today an array of options for IL within the entire urinary tract is available to treat stones in a perfect minimal invasive way. At the same time further improvements of IL are already visible.

Modern management of paediatric obstructive salivary disorders: long-term clinical experience.

Recent technological improvements in head and neck field have changed diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for salivary disorders. Diagnosis is now based on colour Doppler ultrasonography (US), magnetic resonance (MR) sialography and cone beam 3D computed tomography (CT), and extra- and intracorporeal lithotripsy, interventional sialendscopy and sialendoscopy-assisted surgery are used as minimally invasive, conservative procedures for functional preservation of the affected gland. We evaluated the results of our long-term experience in the management of paediatric obstructive salivary disorders. The study involved a consecutive series of 66 children (38 females) whose obstructive salivary symptoms caused by juvenile recurrent parotitis (JRP) (n = 32), stones (n = 20), ranula (n = 9) and ductal stenosis (n = 5). 45 patients underwent interventional sialendoscopy for JRP, stones and stenoses, 12 a cycle of extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL), three sialendoscopy-assisted transoral surgery, one drainage, six marsupialisation, and two suturing of a ranula. Three children underwent combined ESWL and interventional sialendoscopy, and seven a secondary procedure. An overall successful result was obtained in 90.9% of cases. None of the patients underwent traditional invasive sialadenectomy notwithstanding persistence of mild obstructive symptoms in six patients. No major complications were observed. Using a diagnostic work-up based on colour Doppler US, MR sialography and cone beam 3D TC, children with obstructive salivary disorders can be effectively treated in a modern minimally-invasive manner by extracorporeal and intracorporeal lithotripsy, interventional sialendoscopy and sialendoscopy-assisted transoral surgery; this approach guarantees a successful result in most patients, thus avoiding the need for invasive sialadenectomy while functionally preserving the gland.

The "Guidewire-Coil"-Technique to prevent retrograde stone migration of ureteric calculi during intracorporeal lithothripsy.

BACKGROUND: Stone retropulsion represents a challenge for intracorporeal lithotripsy of ureteral calculi. The consequences are an increased duration and cost of surgery as well as decreased stone-free rates. The use of additional tools to prevent proximal stone migration entails further costs and risks for ureteral injuries. We present the simple technique of using a coil of the routinely used guidewire to prevent stone retropulsion. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated all patients with mid-to-proximal ureteral stones in 2014, which were treated by ureteroscopic lithotripsy (Ho: YAG and/or pneumatic lithotripsy). The preoperative stone burden was routinely assessed using low dose CT scan (if available) and/or intravenous pyelogram. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 55 patients with 61 mid-to-proximal calculi. Twentyseven patients underwent semirigid ureterorenoscopy using the "Guidewire-Coil-Technique", the second group (n = 28) served as control group using the guidewire as usual. There has been a statistically significant reduction of accidental stone retropulsion (2/27 vs. 8/28, p < 0.05) as well as a decreased use of auxiliary procedures (p < 0.05) compared to the control group. No difference was observed in operative time. One ureteral injury in the control group required a prolonged ureteral stenting. CONCLUSION: The "Guidewire-Coil-Technique" is a simple and safe procedure that may help to prevent proximal calculus migration and therefore may increase stone-free rates without causing additional costs.

Benchtop and Initial Clinical Evaluation of the ShockPulse Stone Eliminator in Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy.

PURPOSE: Standardized bench testing of the new ShockPulse™ intracorporeal lithotripter was performed against three commercially available lithotripsy systems to determine differences and nuances in performance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The ShockPulse intracorporeal lithotripter was tested against the LUS-2™, CyberWand,™ and EMS LithoClast™ in a standardized bench setting using hard (Ultracal-30) and soft (plaster of Paris) stone phantoms. An in vitro kidney model was used to record the time needed to fragment stone samples into retrievable-sized pieces. The time needed to fully comminute and evacuate stone samples was also recorded. The efficacy of each device at various applied pressures was determined using a hands-free apparatus, which was used to apply 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 pounds of fixed force. RESULTS: For hard and soft stones, the time needed to create retrievable fragments was similar among all systems (p = 0.585). The ShockPulse was significantly faster than the LUS-2 and LithoClast at fully fragmenting and evacuating stone samples (p = 0.046), while the CyberWand was significantly slower than all three systems at this task (p = 0.001). When fixed forces were applied to a large stone phantom, the ShockPulse and CyberWand were significantly faster than the LUS-2 and LithoClast (p < 0.0001). When groups of smaller stones were tested, the ShockPulse was significantly faster at 1.0 pound (p < 0.001) and 1.5 pounds (p < 0.002) of force. At 2.0 pounds, no differences were observed (p = 0.09). CONCLUSIONS: The ShockPulse is equally as effective and, in some circumstances, more effective than the three commercially available devices against which it was tested in an in vitro setting.

Uso rutinario del dispositivo antimigratorio Accordion para prevenir la retropulsión de cálculos ureterales durante la litotripsia intracorpórea con laser Holmium: ¿se justifica su uso? / Routine use of Accordion® antimigratory device for preventing the retropulsion of ureteral stones during intracorporeal lithotripsy with holmium laser: is it justified?

Evaluar el impacto del dispositivo Accordion® (Percsys, Palo Alta, CA) en la prevención de la migración de cálculos ureterales. Materiales y Métodos: Un total de 68 pacientes con cálculos ureterales fueron evaluados en este estudio caso-control. 34 fueron destinados al grupo I (grupo Accordion®) y 34 al grupo II (grupo control). Como objetivo primarios se evaluó la diferencia en tiempo de fragmentación durante el procedimiento. Objetivos secundarios evaluados fueron el tiempo operatorio total, tasa de éxito en la fragmentación del cálculo, requerimiento de catéter ureteral posterior al procedimiento y complicaciones perioperatorias. Resultados: Ambos grupos de pacientes resultaron comparables en término de variables demográficas y características de la litiasis. El tiempo de fragmentación intraoperatoria fue similar entre los grupos (25 minutos en el grupo I vs 24 minutos en el grupo II; p=0,94). No fue encontrada ninguna diferencia estadísticamente significativa en tiempo operatorio total (45 minutos en el grupo I vs 50 minutos en el grupo II; p =0,67) o tasa de éxito en la fragmentación (100 por ciento grupo I vs 97 por ciento grupo II). El análisis multivariado demostró una disminución significativa en la necesidad de instalación de catéter doble J al término del procedimiento con el uso de Accordion durante la ureteroscopía (OR 0.24; CI 0,07-0,90; p=0.034).Conclusión: Ambos grupos en nuestro estudio se comportaron de manera similar con respecto a los resultados inmediatos de la ureteroscopía. La disminución en la necesidad de instalación de un catéter doble J y el costo asociado a éste constituyen un argumento a favor de utilizar el dispositivo Accordion®...

To evaluate the impact of Accordion® (Percsys, Palo Alto , CA) device in preventing stone migration. Methods: A total of 68 patients with ureteral stones were evaluated in this case control study, 34 in group I (Accordion group) and 34 in group II (control group) . As primary outcome we evaluated difference in fragmentation time during the procedure. Secondary outcomes were total operative time, stone free rates, postoperative ureteral catheter requirement and perioperative complications. Results: Both groups of patients were comparable in terms of demographics variables and stone characteristics. Intraoperative fragmentation time was similar between groups (25 minutes for group I vs 24 minutes for group II; p=0,94). No statistically significant difference were found in total operative time (45 minutes for group I vs 50 minutes for group II; p =0,67) or stone free rates (100 percent group I vs 97 percent group II). Multivariate model showed a significant decrease in the need to install a double J catheter at the end of the procedure with the use of Accordion during ureteroscopy (OR 0.24; CI 0,07 -0,90; p=0.034).Conclusions: Both groups in our study behaved similarly with respect to immediate outcome of ureteroscopy. The decrease in the installation of double J stent and the cost associated with it constitutes an argument in favor of the use of Accordion device...