Radiology, Vol 156, 341-348, Copyright © 1985 by Radiological Society of North America
Percutaneous removal of ureteral calculi: clinical and experimental results
DW Hunter, WR Castaneda-Zuniga, AT Young, J Cardella, G Lund, JA Rysavy, J Hulbert, P Lange, P Reedy and K Amplatz
Between May 1983 and October 1984, 51 patients who had 68 ureteral stones
underwent treatment at the University of Minnesota. All 68 stones were
removed successfully using percutaneous techniques. The 100% success rate
is a great improvement over previous results at our institution. The
primary factors appear to be the development of the retrograde-flush
technique, familiarity with and access to a wider range of methods, and the
increasing use of the retrograde ureterorenoscope to see stones in the
lower ureter. The average patient was a 45-year-old man who had no other
medical problems. The average hospital stay was 6.8 days. Experimental
studies with dogs indicate that injection rates of up to 30 ml/sec of
contrast material through a retrograde catheter in the ureter are safe if a
vent is present in the upper collecting system.
