title: Impact of stone location on success rates of endoscopic lithotripsy for nephrolithiasis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether stone location affects the stone-free rates of endoscopic lithotripsy for nephrolithiasis.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 2002 to August 2006, 245 patients with 272 stones, ranging from 4 to 20 mm in size, underwent ureteroscopy (URS) with laser lithotripsy at West Virginia University Hospital. The patients were followed up postoperatively with noncontrast spiral computed tomography, abdominal plain radiography, renal ultrasonography, or retrograde pyelography. Patients were considered to have been treated successfully if they had no residual stones. All pediatric patients were excluded, as were all patients with stones greater than 2 cm. Also, patients who had undergone previous shock wave lithotripsy, percutaneous nephrolithotripsy, or URS by an outside urologist were excluded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 86 kidney stones were treated with URS and laser lithotripsy. Of these, 81 (94.2%) were successfully treated. Five patients (5.8%) had persistent stones. All 18 upper pole stones (100%) were cleared, 23 (95.8%) of 24 middle pole stones were cleared, and 40 (90.9%) of 44 lower pole stones were cleared (P = 0.338).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  URS is an important tool for treating nephroureterolithiasis with excellent success rates and minimal morbidity. The results of our study have shown that stone location does not significantly affect stone clearance rates when performing endoscopic lithotripsy for intrarenal calculi.
authors.affiliation: Division of Urology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, USA. aperlmu@aol.com
authors.forename: Adam E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Perlmutter
authors.forename: Can
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Talug
authors.forename: William F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Tarry
authors.forename: Stanley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zaslau
authors.forename: Hesam
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mohseni
authors.forename: Stanley J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kandzari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004724:Endoscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008096:Lithotripsy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053040:Nephrolithiasis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D012074:Remission Induction