I read the article by Dr Chou and associates [1] with interest. They evaluated the secondary signs associated with ureteral obstruction from calcium and uric acid stones. They used unenhanced helical computed tomography (UCT) in order to assess the kidneys in those patients, and observed that UCT reliably showed secondary changes (such as rim sign, hydroureter, perirenal stranding, renal densit...

m alizade [1] , md mr mohammadi fallah [2] , md m shokoohi [3] , md ah sharafi [4] , mdm maghsudi [5] , md  received: 23 dec, 2007 accepted: 12 april, 2008 abstract  background &aims; : impacted distal ureteral stone have always been controversial on the choice of treatment. this study aims to evaluate the effect of tamsulosin (non selective alpha 1-blocker) in medical expulsion therapy of dist...

OBJECTIVES To compare 4 ureteral occlusion devices in terms of insertion force, maneuverability, radial dilation and extraction forces, ability to prevent stone migration, and tip stiffness. METHODS The devices tested were the PercSys Accordion, Microvasive Stone Cone (7 and 10 mm), and Cook N-Trap. Using a ureteral model with an artificial stone in place, the insertion force, number of attem...

PURPOSE This retrospective study evaluated the unenhanced multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) findings of urinary system calculi and the secondary signs associated with ureteral stones in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study included 87 children (54 boys, 32 girls) with a mean age of 89 months (range: 5 months to 16 years) who were referred to us from various departments and were e...

INTRODUCTION Considering the high prevalence of urinary system stones and that non-medical treatments have more costs and side effects, we decided to evaluate the effect of theophylline in the passage of ureteral stones. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred and fifty patients with ureteral stones were assigned into groups A and B, whose age, sex, size of stone, and location of stone were matched...

Context: Medical expulsive therapy (MET) augments expulsion rates and reduces colic events. Therefore, MET is an appropriate procedure to facilitate stone passage during the observation period in patients who have a newly diagnosed ureteral stone and whose symptoms are controlled. Increasing evidence indicates that supportive therapy following shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) for urolithiasis is al...

PURPOSE We assessed the efficacy and safety of insertion of a polytetrafluoroethylene membrane-covered self-expandable metallic stent (UVENTA stent) for palliation of malignant ureteral obstruction on the basis of our early results. MATERIALS AND METHODS Eighteen patients underwent UVENTA stent insertion for extrinsic malignant ureteral obstructions of 20 ureters. The UVENTA stents were deplo...

BACKGROUND Numerous randomised trials have confirmed the efficacy of medical expulsive therapy with tamsulosin in patients with distal ureteral stones; however, to date, no randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials have been performed. OBJECTIVE The objective of this trial was to evaluate the efficacy of medical expulsive therapy with tamsulosin in a randomised, double-blind, placeb...

PURPOSE This technology assessment addresses the optimal use of imaging in the evaluation and treatment of patients with suspected or documented ureteral stones. MATERIALS AND METHODS A comprehensive literature search addressing 4 guiding questions was performed for full text in English articles published between January 1990 and July 2011. The search focused on major subtopics associated wit...