title: Stentless pediatric ureteroscopic holmium: YAG laser stone disintegration: is gravels retrieval an issue?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the safety and efficacy of stentless pediatric ureteroscopic holmium laser stone disintegration without gravels retrieval.
  
  
  METHODS
  From Feb 2007 to Feb 2010, 21 children (12 boys and 9 girls) with unilateral single stone ureter, with an average age of 8.5 years (range 4-12 years), were treated with 6.9 Fr semirigid ureteroscope for a stone size ranged from 5 to 10 mm (mean 6.5 mm). All the stones were radioopaque, located in the upper ureter in 2 cases (9.5%), in the middle ureter in 5 cases (24%), and in the lower ureter in 14 cases (66.5%). Complete holmium laser stone disintegration was applied in all cases without gravels removal. No postoperative ureteral stent was inserted in any case.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The stones were successfully approached and completely disintegrated in a single session in 20 cases (95.2%). All the procedures were done without ureteral orifice dilatation apart from 3 cases where another working guide wire was applied. No intraoperative complications were recorded in the form of mucosal injury, ureteral perforation, or urinary extravasation. There is no early postoperative complication in the form of urinary tract infection or colic apart from single case of hematuria which was successfully treated conservatively. Two weeks postoperatively, KUB (kidney, ureter, and bladder) films were completely free from any significant gravel (>3 mm) and US showed no hydronephrosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Stentless ureteroscopic holmium laser disintegration without gravels removal is a safe and effective method for pediatric ureteral stone less than 10 mm in diameter.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt. wael_saad_el_dien@hotmail.com
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gamal
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aldahshoury
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hammady
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hussein
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Osman
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mmdouh
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abouzeid
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006695:Holmium; D006801:Humans; D053844:Lasers, Solid-State / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017602:Lithotripsy, Laser / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014514:Ureteral Calculi / Q000601:surgery*; D018666:Ureteroscopy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D006695:Holmium