INTRODUCTION Laser lithotripsy of bile duct stones has become a widely accepted endoscopic treatment modality for giant, impacted, or very hard stones. The procedure is usually carried out under direct endoscopic control in view of the potential risk of bile duct injuries in "blind" laser application. AIMS To investigate the use of a rhodamine 6G laser lithotriptor with an integrated optical ...

OBJECTIVES To present our series of patients with ureteral stent encrustation and give indwelling times and management. Encrustation is one of the most serious complications of ureteral stents. METHODS A retrospective review was undertaken of all encrusted stents during a 4-year period. The inclusion criterion was a stent that required some form of intervention above the ureteral orifice to r...

PURPOSE To present our experience in the management of symptomatic ureteral calculi during pregnancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-three pregnant women, aged between 19 and 28 years presented to the obstetric and urology departments with renal colic (17 cases, 73.9%) and fever and renal pain (6 cases, 26.1%); suggesting ureteric stones. The diagnosis was established by ultrasonography (abdomi...

Evaluating the economic impact of medical procedures is of increasing importance in the American health care system, and this is especially true in the case of new medical technologies. Both the cost and the outcome of a treatment, and its alternatives must be evaluated. A cost-utility analysis was performed to compare cholecystectomy with biliary lithotripsy accompanied by bile acid therapy....

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INTRODUCTION Paraplegic patients are at greater risk of developing complications following ureteroscopic lithotripsy because of urine infection associated with neuropathic bladder, difficulties in access due to altered anatomy of urinary bladder and urethra, spinal curvature, spasticity, and contractures. We report the occurrence of large subcapsular hematoma following ureteroscopy and discuss ...

Role of biliary stenting in the management of bile duct stones in the elderly Nearly a third of patients with common bile duct stones are at risk of developing recurrent cholangitis or pancreati-tis.' These complications carry a significant mortality in elderly, infirm patients so that prompt intervention to clear the duct of stones (or at least establish an uninterrupted flow of bile) is, part...

The treatment of bile duct stones has evolved from surgery to endoscopic management, which has a success rate of 90% [1]. Impaction of the lithotripsy basket during endoscopic removal of a common bile duct (CBD) stones is seen in up to 5.9% of the cases [2,3] and represents one of the most feared complications; as it usually results in open surgical intervention. We report our experience with a...

OBJECTIVE This study compared the therapeutic benefits and complication rates of small endoscopic sphincterotomy plus large-balloon dilation (ESLBD) with those of endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) alone for large bile duct stones. METHODS We compared prospectively ESLBD group (n=63) with conventional EST group (n=69) for the treatment of large bile duct stones (≥15mm). Mechanical lithotripsy wa...

PURPOSE This study aimed to determine the predictors of ipsilateral hydronephrosis after ureteroscopic lithotripsy for ureteral calculi. MATERIALS AND METHODS From January 2010 to December 2014, a total of 204 patients with ureteral calculi who underwent ureteroscopic lithotripsy were reviewed. Patients with lack of clinical data, presence of ureteral rupture, and who underwent simultaneous p...