Percutaneous removal of ureteral calculi: clinical and experimental results.

Abstract

Between May 1983 and Oct. 1984, 51 patients who had 68 ureteral stones underwent treatment at the University of Minnesota [USA]. All 68 stones were removed successfully using percutaneous techniques. The 100% success rate is a great improvement over previous results. The primary factors appear to be the development of the retrograde-flush technique, familiarity with and access to a wider range of methods and the increasing use of the retrograde uretero-renoscope to see stones in the lower ureter. The average patient was a 45-yr-old man who had no other medical problems. The average hospital stay was 6.8 days. Experimental studies with dogs indicate that injection rates of up to 30 ml/s of contrast material through a retrograde catheter in the ureter are safe if a vent is present in the upper collecting system.