The ureter is possibly the least studied and most poorly understood organ of the urinary tract. The pathophysiologic basis underlying the use of α-blockers to improve ureteral stone passage or to treat ureteral stent symptoms is poorly understood. This, in part, may explain why clinical studies of medical expulsive therapy for ureteral stone passage are fraught with conflicting data. Methods to...

Background: The use of ureteroscopy in the management of urolithiasis is well established. Ureteral avulsion is a rare but challenging complication of the procedure. Postureteral injury strictures are a common result of such injuries and are typically managed with reconstructive surgery or endoscopically with polymer stent. This case represents the first effective management of ureteral avulsio...

Complex endourologic procedures may require the use of a combined ureteroscopic and percutaneous approach. Endoscopic removal of a retained 4-wire ureteral stone basket is particularly complex, as broken tines can potentially injure the ureter if the basket is removed in a retrograde manner. The patient in this case presented with a ureteral stone basket embedded within the urothelium of the up...

PURPOSE We compared the efficacy and safety of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) with different intracorporeal lithotriptors for proximal ureteral stones in patients with severe hydronephrosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the records of 192 patients with proximal ureteral calculi and severe hydronephrosis who underwent PCNL between February 2003 and December 2007. Calcu...

PURPOSE To compare efficacy and safety of holmium:YAG laser and pneumatic lithotripter in the management of ureteral stones. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred and twelve patients with 1 to 2 cm ureteral calculi were selected for pneumatic or holmium:YAG laser transurethral ureterolithotripsy (56 patients in each group). Ultrasonography and plain abdominal x-ray were performed for all the pati...

PURPOSE Assessment of safety and efficacy of extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy versus semi-rigid ureteroscope with lithoclast for treatment of large proximal ureteral stones. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study included 147 patients with large upper ureteral stones. SWL and ureteroscopy were performed in 71 and 76 patients respectively. Patients in the SWL group were treated with Siemens: - Mo...

BACKGROUND AND AIM Ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URL) and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) are two widely used methods for the treatment of ureteral stones. The need for ureteral stenting during these procedures is controversial. In this meta-analysis, we evaluated the benefits and disadvantages of ureteral stents for the treatment of ureteral stones. METHODS Databases including PubM...

Unilateral renal aplasia (URA), which belongs to congenital solitary functioning kidney (CSFK), may lead to renal failure in patient’s later life. URA is often associated with other malformations, among which urological anomalies are the most common ones. Herein, we present a case of a 52-year-old man with the left URA and aplastic ureter with ipsilateral seminal vesicle opening to (AUISVO). Th...

OBJECTIVE We compared the efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) and ureteroscopy (URS) for the treatment of distal ureteral calculi with respect to patient satisfaction. MATERIALS AND METHODS This is a prospective study where a total of 212 patients with solitary, radiopaque distal ureteral calculi were treated with ESWL (n = 92) using Dornier lithotriptor S (MedTech Europe...

BACKGROUND/AIM Primary therapeutic approach to lumbar ureteral stones is still contraversial. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of stone impaction and size on the effectiveness of proximal ureteral stone lithotripsy. METHODS A total of 123 patients with proximal ureteral stones were investigated in this prospective study performed in a 10-month period. The patients were di...