Factors Affecting the Success of Ureteroscopy in Management of Ureteral Stone Diseases in Children

Abstract Purpose: We retrospectively investigated the factors that affect the success of rigid ureteroscopy in the pediatric population for the management of pediatric ureteral stones. Patients and Methods: We present a retrospective review of 61 consecutive pediatric patients who underwent 66 rigid ureteroscopy procedures for ureteral stone management. The effects of sex, age, stone diameter, stone localization, and degree of associated ureterohydronephrosis (UHN) on the success of ureteroscopy were evaluated. Results: The mean age of the patients was 8.1 years (range 6 mos–16 yrs). The average stone diameter was 8.22 mm (range 4–20 mm). In 56 cases (84.8%), all of the stones were extracted. In five (7.6%) cases, clinically significant residual fragments were detected and extracted by second-look ureteroscopy. In five cases (7.6%), the operations ended in failure. The final stone clearance rate after ureteroscopic stone treatment was higher in lower ureteral stones then in middle and upper ureteral stone...