Journal Reviews
Stenting prior to URS or ESWL – does it increase ED visits and opiate prescriptions?
Ureteral stents are used to bypass obstructive stones, to dilate the ureter in order to facilitate ureteroscopy (URS), and to maintain patency / low intrarenal pressure following stone surgery. However, there can be morbidity (pain / voiding symptoms). Tasian et...
ESWL and URS for treatment of paediatric urolithiasis
Tejwani et al. have undertaken a comparative effectiveness study to characterise differences in procedure frequency, postoperative re-admissions and emergency room (ER) visits, and repeat treatment rates for children (≤18 years) with urolithiasis who underwent initial intervention with extracorporeal shock wave...
Stepwise voltage ramping causes less renal haematomas than fixed maximal voltage ESWL
Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) remains the recommended first line treatment for stones <2cm in the renal pelvis and upper or mid-pole calyces (Türk C, Knoll T, Petrik A, et al. European Association of Urology Guidelines on Urolithiasis. 2014). There...
Cystolithotripsy using the holmium laser: evolving uses for the laser lithotrite
This small prospective study examined 20 patients who were undergoing laser cystolithotripsy for bladder stones. Laser lithotripsy was performed using either a 365 or 550µm holmium:YAG laser fibre with a power setting of 1.0J and a frequency of 10Hz. Stone...
Efficacy of flexible ureteroscopy and laser lithotripsy for lower pole renal calculi
The management of lower pole renal stones (LPS) is often difficult. Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), flexible ureterorenoscopy (fURS) and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) are all potential options with potential benefits and disadvantages. In order to assess the success of fURS...
