Flexible Ureterorenoscopy: Report of 97 Consecutive Procedures

Ninety-seven flexible ureteroscopy procedures were carried out in 87 patients, 80 for the treatment of upper tract calculi, 14 for diagnostic purposes only, and 3 for ureteral stricture dilation. Access to the ureter was not successful in five patients. Sixty-seven of the remaining procedures (72%) were carried out successfully with one flexible ureteroscopic procedure. An additional six patients were treated successfully with two procedures. Therefore, the overall success rate for flexible ureteroscopy alone was 79%. Following transureteroscopic treatment of upper tract stones, eight patients (9%) had retained fragments. All patients were rendered stone free by additional procedures. Seven patients (8%) with upper tract calculi were either treatment failures or were lost to follow-up. There were 11 minor and 4 major complications. Nine of the minor complications resolved without additional therapy. Two of the major complications involved delayed development of a distal ureteral stricture, and two were perforations that resolved after ancillary endourologic treatment.