Does the endoscopic treatment of lower ureter stones affect uroflowmetric values? A prospective clinical trial.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to document if stones at the lower ureter alter the micturition capability of the patients and to investigate whether endoscopic removal of these stones restores normal urinary flow rates or not in the 3 months of follow-up.


METHODS
Forty patients with lower ureteral stone (group 1) and 20 control subjects with proximal ureteral stone (group 2) were enrolled into the study. All patients underwent uroflowmetry testing before and 3 months after the treatment for endoscopic stone removal. The mean average and peak flow rates with a sufficient voided volume (≥150 ml) were evaluated before and after surgery and compared between the groups.


RESULTS
Mean values of the peak flow rates before and after surgery were 20.3 and 27.5 ml/s in group 1 and 22.5 and 23.6 ml/s in group 2, and the mean average flow rate values before and after surgery were 10.5 and 13.6 ml/s in group 1 and 11.4 and 12.1 ml/s in group 2. Statistically significant differences were determined between before and after ureteroscopy values were determined in terms of average (p < 0.05) and peak flow rates (p < 0.01) in group I; however, there no significant difference was seen in the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
We document for the first time in the literature that patients with lower ureteric stones have a reduction in their urinary stream which resolves with endoscopic removal of the stones.
Ahi Evran University Faculty of Medicine Department of Urology, Kırsehir, Turkey.
Mumtaz
M
Dadali
Yasin
Y
Aydogmus
Levent
L
Emir
Arif
A
Aydin
Metin Ahmet
MA
Hascicek
Sahin
S
Bagbanci
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014513:Ureter / Q000601:surgery*; D014514:Ureteral Calculi / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy; D018666:Ureteroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D014554:Urination / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult