Prone percutaneous nephrolithotomy: its advantages and our technique for puncture.

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is considered the treatment of choice for large urinary calculi and staghorn lithiasis. The approach for this surgery may be either supine or prone, and different access techniques are described in the literature with the use of ultrasound, fluoroscopy, or both combined. We believe that prone PCNL offers to the urologist key advantages, such as the possibility of puncturing anatomically abnormal urinary tracts, to perform multiple percutaneous tracts in the same kidney, experiencing the vacuum cleaner effect, ease of exploring the upper calyx through the inferior calyx, possibility to perform endoscopic combined intrarenal surgery (ECIRS) and bilateral simultaneous surgery, and to performed over local anesthesia. An adequate training for the endourologist should include both the prone and supine techniques for PCNL and to know which patient can benefit the most from each one.

Laparoscopic Pyeloplasty: Always Dismembered?

OBJECTIVE: To compare three laparoscopic surgical techniques for the treatment of ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO), assessing their difficulty, operating time, effectiveness, and complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinical histories of 54 patients with UPJO who underwent a laparoscopic procedure between June 2003 and September 2013 were reviewed. Anderson-Hynes (A-H) pyeloplasty was performed on 34 patients, nondismembered pyeloplasty on 11 cases (8 Y-V Foley plasty and 3 Fenger plasty), and cephalad vascular displacement or Hellström technique (HT) on 9 patients. The patients were selected for the different techniques depending on the findings during the procedures, according to renal pelvic size and the presence of crossing vessels. We compared the techniques according to intraoperative and postoperative outcomes. Complications were interpreted following the Clavien-Dindo classification. The success rate was defined as the absence of clinical symptoms and normal diuretic renography. Analysis of variance and chi-square tests were used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 55.58 months. The success rate achieved was 88.5% for A-H pyeloplasty, 90.9% for nondismembered pyeloplasty, and 100% for HT (p > 0.05). HT was the least time-consuming: 124 ± 30 vs 202 ± 44 minutes of A-H pyeloplasty and 147 ± 27 minutes of nondismembered plasty (p < 0.005). Mean hospital stay was 6.7 ± 1.4 days for A-H pyeloplasty, 6.6 ± 2 days for nondismembered pyeloplasty, and 3.42 ± 1.5 days for HT (p < 0.05). The postoperative complication rate was 21.1% for A-H pyeloplasty, 18.8% for nondismembered pyeloplasty, and 12.5% for HT (p > 0.05). None of the cases required open surgery, and urinary fistula was the most frequent complication. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative observation of ureteropelvic junction allows selecting cases to undergo nondismembered pyeloplasty techniques, achieving similar results to A-H pyeloplasty, reducing operating time, complication rate, and hospital stay.

Endometriosis ureteral en paciente monorrena. Presentación del caso y revisión de la literatura / Ureteral endometriosis in a single-kidney patient. Case report and literatura review

La endometriosis se define como la presencia de tejido endometrial funcionante localizado de manera ectópica fuera de la cavidad uterina. La afectación del aparato urinario es poco frecuente evidenciándose únicamente en el 5% de las pacientes con endometriosis. Presentamos el caso de una paciente de 44 años monorrena izquierda, que ingresa en el servicio de urología por hidronefrosis y dolor en fosa renal de un mes de evolución. Se realiza estudio de uropatía obstructiva izquierda evidenciándose efecto masa en uréter distal izquierdo. Dados los hallazgos y los antecedentes de la paciente (monorrena izquierda) se decide realizar ureterectomía y vejiga psoica, con toma de biopsia intraoperatoria. El estudio histopatológico de la pieza reveló el diagnóstico de endometriosis ureteral. La paciente en la actualidad se encuentra asintomática y con función renal normal (AU)

Endometriosis is defined as the presence of ectopic endometrial tissue outside the normal confines of the uterine cavity. Urinary tract involvement is uncommon, its incidence being about 5%. We report the case of a 44 year-old patient with a single left kidney admitted to the urology department of our hospital diagnosed with left-sided hydronephrosis. She also complained of pain in the left renal fossa for more than a month. A study of left obstructive uropathy was performed, revealing a mass effect in the left distal ureter. Given the findings and the patient's history (a single left kidney), we decided to perform ureterectomy and to fix the bladder to the psoas, as well as to perform an intraoperative biopsy. The histopathological report of the surgical specimen confirmed the previous diagnosis of ureteral endometriosis. The patient is currently asymptomatic and has normal renal function (AU)