Acucise endopyelotomy: Assessment of long-term durability - Reply

Purpose: We evaluated the long-term efficacy of Acucise endopyelotomy. Materials and Methods: A total of 28 patients with 28 ureteropelvic junction obstructions was reevaluated 2 or more years after Acucise endopyelotomy (mean 32.5 months). Subjective analysis was done with analog pain scales and objective analysis was performed with diuretic renal scintigraphy. Results: Subjective followup was available for all 28 patients, and 17 (61%) had a favorable response with 36% totally free of pain and 25% markedly improved. Among 26 patients with objective followup (93%) 21 (81%) had a patent ureteropelvic junction based on a diuretic renal scan with a half-time of less than 10 minutes or a normal Whitaker test. Among all regularly followed patients failure occurred uniformly within 1 year. Conclusions: Acucise endopyelotomy is an effective and durable method for treating ureteropelvic junction obstruction.