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Endoscopic management of upper urinary tract stones

Since 1981, 525 renal and ureteric calculi have been removed with percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCN) or transurethral ureteroscopy as the primary modalities of therapy. Successful extraction of the stone at the first attempt was achieved in 92 per cent of cases by PCN and 70 per cent of cases by ureteroscopy, whilst further endoscopic surgery improved the overall success rates to 98 per cent and to 80 per cent respectively. Complication rates from these procedures have both been low as has the morbidity, with most patients leaving hospital within 4 days and returning to work within 2 weeks. The successful development of endoscopic lithotomy and the use of in situ destruction techniques has meant that we now reserve open surgery for difficult multibranched staghorn calculi and ureteric stones embedded in the urothelium. With the advent of extracorporeally generated shockwave lithotripsy it is likely that even these types of stone will be amenable to minimally invasive procedures.