THE IMPACT OF EXTRACORPOREAL PIEZOELECTRIC LITHOTRIPSY ON THE MANAGEMENT OF URETERAL CALCULI - AN AUDIT

The presentation and management of 153 patients with ureteric calculi requiring active treatment over a 12-month period were reviewed; 74% of patients had primary ureteric calculi and 26% had ureteric calculi composed of fragments resulting from extracorporeal piezoelectric shockwave lithotripsy (EPL) to renal calculi; 32 patients (21%) had more than 1 calculus or a steinstrasse. The primary procedures included were in situ EPL (n = 54), push-bang (44), retrograde ureteroscopy (40), Dormia basket extraction (6), push-pull (1), antegrade ureteroscopy (1) and combinations of these (7). The success of the primary procedure could not be predicted from stone size, site or duration in the ureter, but upper tract dilatation was significantly less (p < 0.01) in the successful group. The overall success rate for complete stone extraction was 97%, but 54 patients (35%) required more than 1 procedure to achieve this. In situ EPL and push-bang, as either primary or secondary procedures, were successful in treating 79 patients (52%); 2 patients required ureterolithotomy (1.3%). The overall complication rate was 18%. Since EPL is only successful in treating approximately half of ureteric calculi, a range of other treatments should be available to maintain a low rate of open surgery.