title: Retrograde intra-renal surgery for stone extraction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess various clinical parameters affecting the efficacy and safety profile of retrograde intra-renal surgery (RIRS) for stone extraction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between the years 2001 and 2003, 63 patients underwent RIRS in our department for renal calculi, including 25 who had stones >/=20mm in size.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 63 patients who underwent the operation, 19 (30%) had infectious complications postoperatively. Although neither preoperative stenting nor stone burden were found to have any direct implication on postoperative course, a trend was seen as 64% of the infected patients had initially had large renal stones (>/=20mm in diameter) and 59% had been preoperatively drained.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RIRS is currently considered to be a safe standard retrograde endoscopic procedure for treating renal calculi. However, patients with stones>20 mm in diameter or multiple small calculi, especially in the presence of pre-existing tubes or following prior urinary tract infections, represent a subgroup of patients that are, in general, at higher risk of remarkable infectious complication rates and are likely to experience less satisfying stone-free rates when RIRS surgery is performed.
authors.affiliation: Section of Endourology, Department of Urology, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Ramat-Gan, Israel. dorit1e@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Dorit E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Zilberman
authors.forename: Yoram
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mor
authors.forename: Mordechai
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Duvdevani
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ramon
authors.forename: Harry Z
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Winkler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000601:surgery*; D007669:Kidney Calculi / Q000601:surgery*; D017602:Lithotripsy, Laser / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000209:etiology; D013520:Urologic Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*