Factors affecting the success of ureteroscopy in management of ureteral stone diseases in children.
OBJECTIVE
We retrospectively investigated the factors that affect the success of rigid ureteroscopy in the pediatric population for the management of pediatric ureteral stones.


METHODS
We present a retrospective review of 61 consecutive pediatric patients who underwent 66 rigid ureteroscopy procedures for ureteral stone management. The effects of sex, age, stone diameter, stone localization, and degree of associated ureterohydronephrosis (UHN) on the success of ureteroscopy were evaluated.


RESULTS
The mean age of the patients was 8.1 years (range 6 mos-16 yrs). The average stone diameter was 8.22 mm (range 4-20 mm). In 56 cases (84.8%), all of the stones were extracted. In five (7.6%) cases, clinically significant residual fragments were detected and extracted by second-look ureteroscopy. In five cases (7.6%), the operations ended in failure. The final stone clearance rate after ureteroscopic stone treatment was higher in lower ureteral stones then in middle and upper ureteral stones; thus, the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.011). Also, there is a significant negative correlation between stone size and success rate (P = 0.007). The final stone clearance rate after ureteroscopic stone treatment was higher in patients with no and mild UHN than in patients with moderate and severe UHN, but the difference was statistically insignificant (P = 0.118). Statistical analyses revealed no significant relationship between success rates with regard to the sex and age of the patients (P = 0.643 for sex, P = 0.390 for age).


CONCLUSIONS
The stone localization and stone size are the factors that affect the success of the procedure.
Turunc
Tahsin
T
Faculty of Medicine, Department of Urology, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey.
Kuzgunbay
Baris
B
Gul
Umit
U
Kayis
Aliye Atay
AA
Bilgilisoy
Ugur Taylan
UT
Aygun
Cem
C
Ozkardes
Hakan
H
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D006869:Hydronephrosis / Q000150:complications; D007223:Infant; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014514:Ureteral Calculi / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D018666:Ureteroscopy / Q000379:methods*