Transurethral ureterorenoscopic lithotripsy and retrieval of ureteric calculi under local anaesthesia and sedation

Outcomes of loco-regional anaesthesia in ureteroscopy for stone disease: a systematic review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Routine ureteroscopy (URS) for stone disease is performed under a general anaesthesia. However, controversy exists on the role of loco-regional anaesthesia and the outcomes associated with it. Here we review the challenges, outcomes and complications of loco-regional anaesthesia for URS. A Cochrane style review was performed in accordance with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines to evaluate the outcomes of loco-reginal anaesthesia for URS in stone disease, including all English language articles from January 1980 and December 2019.

RECENT FINDINGS

Twenty-one studies (1843 procedures) with a mean age of 46 years and a male : female ratio of 1.2 : 1 underwent URS under loco-regional anaesthesia. The mean stone size was 9 mm (range:4-21 mm) and except five papers, all other papers included stones in the ureter of which the majority were in the distal ureter. The conversion to general anaesthesia was needed in 2.7% patients (range 1-21%) across studies, with a stone free rate of 48-100%. The complication rate varied from 1.4 to 36%. Although the intraoperative complications included ureteric injury (n = 21) or perforation (n = 4), the postoperative complications included fever (n = 37), urinary tract infection (n = 20), haematuria (n = 4), urosepsis (n = 4) and others (n = 7).

SUMMARY

The present systematic review shows that local anaesthetic URS is a potential alternative to general anaesthetic URS in carefully selected patients. Randomised controlled trials with subgroup analysis are required to further assess whether loco-regional anaesthesia URS is noninferior to general anaesthesia URS and might help determine if the former approach should become more widespread.

Is spinal anesthesia an alternative and feasible method for proximal ureteral stone treatment?

Introduction

We investigated the clinical, operational, and pain parameters of patients who underwent semirigid ureterorenoscopy (sURS) under spinal anesthesia (SA) and general anesthesia (GA) for proximal ureter stones.

Material and methods

Patients treated with sURS after diagnosis of proximal ureter stones between January 2014 and May 2017 were reviewed retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups (the SA group and the GA group) based on the type of anesthesia used. Perioperative variables and operation results were evaluated and compared. Success was defined as the patient being stone-free as observed on low-dose non-contrast computed tomography performed in the first month postoperatively.

Results

The SA and GA groups had 40 and 32 patients, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of age (p = 0.593), gender (p = 0.910), average stone size (p = 0.056), side (p = 0.958), or density (p = 0.337). Based on the Clavien classification system, complication rates between the two groups were similar. The postoperative visual pain scale in the SA group was statistically significantly lower (p <0.05) than in the GA group. Success rates in the SA and GA groups were found to be 90% (36/40) and 93.7% (30/32), respectively, with no significant difference between the groups (p = 0.819).

Conclusions

Ureterorenoscopy, which is performed for proximal ureter stone treatment in adult patients, is a reliable surgical method that can be performed under both SA and GA. SA offers the advantage of reduced postoperative pain as compared to GA.

Anesthetic considerations for urologic surgeries

Urologic surgeries are widely performed, and the cases have increased owing to the fact that the elderly population is growing. The narrow and limited surgical space is a challenge in performing most urologic surgeries. Additionally, the elderly population is exposed to the risk of perioperative complications; therefore, a comprehensive understanding and approach are required to provide optimized anesthesia during surgery. We have searched the literature on anesthesia for urologic surgeries and summarized the anesthetic considerations for urologic surgeries.

Ureteroscopy with conscious sedation for distal ureteric calculi: 10-year experience

INTRODUCTION

Distal ureteroscopy for stone extraction is a common procedure that is generally performed with spinal or general anesthesia. We retrospectively reviewed all distal ureteroscopy performed for ureteric stone extraction with conscious sedation at our institution over a 10-year period to determine its efficacy and safety.

METHODS

A retrospective chart review was performed of all distal ureteroscopy performed for calculus removal from 2004 to 2014. Patient characteristics, analgesic requirement, tolerability, procedure time, stone size and composition, method of stone extraction, success rate, and complications were collected.

RESULTS

Between 2004 and 2014, 314 procedures were performed. Mean age was 53.74 years, with 160 males and 154 females. A success rate of 97% and 10 (3.2%) complications were reported. Mean analgesic requirement was 189 μg of fentanyl (range: 50-400) and 2.79 mg of midazolam (range: 0-8). A total of 263 patients (83.7%) tolerated the procedure well, with only seven (2.2%) having poor tolerability. When comparing females to males, females were found to require less fentanyl (p=0.0001) and midazolam (p=0.0001). When calculi >5 mm were compared to those <5 mm, there was no statistically significant difference in success rate, procedure time, analgesic requirement, tolerability, or complications.

CONCLUSION

Distal ureteroscopy with conscious sedation is safe and efficacious. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating stones >5 mm can be safely and effectively treated with conscious sedation during this procedure. The context of our findings must be understood within the limitations of our retrospective analysis.

Initial Experience with a Prototype Ureteroscope

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

We report our initial experience with a prototype ureteroscope having the smallest tip diameter and shaft with an offset eyepiece for the treatment of ureteral stones.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A series of 21 male and 4 female patients between the ages of 1.5 and 57 years underwent treatment with the new ureteroscope for stones in the lower (24) and middle (1) ureter. All four of the children were boys. All patients were operated on by a single urologist. Patient sex, age, side, location and size of stone, type of anesthesia, requirement for a guidewire, use of stent, requirement for ureteral dilatation, operative time, type of intracorporeal lithotripsy used if any, type of stone-grasping device used, success rate, length of hospital stay, and complications were recorded.

RESULTS

None of the patients required ureteral dilatation, and a guidewire was used in only three patients. Eight patients were operated on with instillation of 2% lidocaine gel alone, while another five patients required intravenous pentazocine and midazolam. Eight patients were operated on with monitored anesthesia care under propofol and one under ketamine. Three patients required general anesthesia. A double-J stent was not required in 15 patients. The success rate was 100%, and complications were minor.

CONCLUSION

The new ureteroscope can treat the majority of lower-ureteral stones of up to 1.2 cm even in male patients under lidocaine gel with or without intravenous sedation or monitored anesthesia care. These patients can be treated as day-care cases. None of the patients required ureteral dilatation, and stent is now being omitted in most patients. All children were treated in one session.

Safety and Efficacy of Ureteroscopic Lithotripsy for Ureteral Calculi Under Sedoanalgesia – A Prospective Study

OBJECTIVE

To establish the safety and efficacy of ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URSL) under sedoanalgesia.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This study was conducted at Department of Urology (Banaras Hindu University, India) among 124 patients with ureteral stones, between July 2000 and August 2003. Majority of the patients (59.68%) presented with lower ureteric calculi, 24.19% presented with upper ureteric calculi and 16.13% had middle ureteric calculi. All patients were given injection diclofenac sodium (75 mg) promethazine hydrochloride (12.5 mg) deep intramuscular 30 minutes the before procedure. Injection midazolam 0.03 mg/kg body weight slowly given intravenously immediately before the procedure for achieving sedation. Injection fentanyl 50 mcg intravenously given slowly just before introducing the ureteroscope into ureter for achieving intravenous analgesia. Patients were observed for few hours after completion of procedure and oral questions were asked as per proforma, which included tolerance, intensity of pain and percentage of pain experienced by the patients. Patients were discharged thereafter.

RESULTS

87.10% of patients opined that the procedure was acceptable. Only 4.84% opined this procedure was painful. According to present pain intensity score (PPI) in this study 79.03 patients experienced only mild pain, 11.29% cases rated procedure as discomforting, 6.45 rated procedure as distressing and only 3.23% rated as horrible procedure. As per visual analogue scale for assessment of pain 80.65 of cases rated only 20% pain score (in a scale of 0-100). 9.68% cases rated 30% and 6.45% rated 50%. Only two patients in middle ureteric group rated 100% pain. Overall success rate in fragmenting stone was 91.94, where as for lower ureteric calculi it was 97.30%; for upper and, middle ureteric calculi it was 86.66% and 80%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Ureteroscopic lithotripsy can be performed on day care basis under sedoanalgesia which is fairly tolerated by the patients with unremarkable complications and difficulty.

Ureteroscopy: anesthetic considerations

Ureterorenoscopy (URS) is a vital procedure in the armamentarium of the modern-day urologist for the management of ureteral and renal pathology. With advances in ureteroscopic design and the introduction of short-acting anesthetics, URS can now be performed efficiently with high patient satisfaction and minimal posteroperative recovery time. Recently, URS under local anesthesia, with or without sedation, has become a viable option for a high percentage of correctly selected patients. For those patients who then require deeper sedation or general anesthesia, anesthesia can be induced quickly with the new agents such as remifentanil, propofol, and desflurane, without a prolonged postoperative recovery period.

Is general anaesthesia necessary for URS in women?

A total of 65 women with ureteral stone who underwent ureteroscopy were divided randomly into two groups between April 1993 and March 1994. URS was performed under general anaesthesia in the first group (35 patients), and under local anaesthesia with sedation analgesia in the second group (30 patients). Only 2 patients of the second group did not tolerate the operation. The success rate was 88% in the first group and 83.3% in the second. There was no significant difference between the two groups. Since URS under local anaesthesia is time-saving, cost-effective, and highly tolerable in women, it is a good choice for ureteral stones.

Ureteroscopy under local anaesthesia with and without intravenous analgesia

In a prospective study of 302 ureteroscopic procedures, 161 were commenced and 133 completed without the use of general or regional anaesthesia. In 15 patients ureteroscopy (URS) was performed with lignocaine jelly in the urethra only, and in 118 with additional intravenous analgesia. Alfentanil, a synthetic morphine derivative, was used for intravenous analgesia. Ureteroscopy was performed prior to extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy in 46 patients, for stone basketing in 40, for stone fragmentation in 29, for diagnostic purposes in 14 and for cold knife ureterotomy in 4. Ureteric lesions were observed in 9 patients (6.8%) treated under intravenous sedoanalgesia. This percentage is within the range reported in other series of patients treated under general anaesthesia. The findings suggest that URS, when performed without general or regional anaesthesia, does not increase the risk of complications or compromise the results of treatment.

Clinical experience with flexible ureteropyeloscopy

Flexible ureteroscopes and their accessory working instruments have undergone tremendous design advances since the earliest reports in the 1960s. These changes have allowed for the expansion of indications for flexible ureteroscopy with the emphasis now on therapeutic and not just diagnostic applications. This report covers 290 procedures done with actively deflectable, flexible ureteroscopes on 222 patients. Followup averaged 11.2 months in 228 patients, while the remaining 62 were followed by the original referral center. Included were 154 procedures for stones and 79 for tumors or filling defects. Of the procedures 149 were performed with the patient under local anesthesia with sedation, while 128 were done with use of general anesthesia. The procedure was done in only 22% of the cases for purely visual diagnosis without any interventional manipulation. More than 42% of the cases involved stone retrieval or lithotripsy, in which case the laser was most commonly used (56 cases). The total success rate was 95.5%, and the most common complications were colic or pain in 9% and fever in 6.9%. A stricture developed in 2 patients. A stent was left in more than 93% of the patients and the usual postoperative stay was less than 3 days. With the introduction of even more improved instruments, flexible ureteroscopy should continue to gain ground as an option for the management of upper urinary tract pathology.

Does Transurethral Laser Ureterolithotripsy Justify its Cost?

A prospective consecutive series of 64 patients who underwent transurethral laser ureterolithotripsy using a 7.2F semirigid ureteroscope was compared to the immediately preceding consecutive series of 98 patients who had undergone ultrasound lithotripsy using rigid 9.5F or 12.5F ureteroscopes. The distribution of the calculi by size and composition in both series was similar. There was a higher proportion of upper ureteral calculi in the laser lithotripsy series. The success rate for a first attempt at laser lithotripsy was 92.2% versus 71.4% for the ultrasound series (p less than 0.01). When the stone could be reached ultrasound and laser lithotripsy had a fragmentation rate of 97%. The principal reason for the difference in results was the poorer ability to reach calculi when using the larger rigid ureteroscopes. One patient who had failed ultrasound lithotripsy was successfully treated with laser lithotripsy a year later. The overall morbidity was less for laser lithotripsy. The 3-year cost-benefit analysis revealed a smaller difference in cost than expected and the 5-year analysis was advantageous for laser lithotripsy because of its higher success rate. Savings were also realized in the laser series because of the higher proportion of subjects treated as outpatients, and a lower mean duration of hospitalization and time missed from work. For our center with an annual work load of approximately 100 cases laser lithotripsy achieved a superior cost-benefit ratio.

Ureteroscopy without routine balloon dilation: an outcome assessment

A retrospective analysis of 156 rigid ureteroscopic stone procedures in 145 patients revealed successful manipulation in 90%. The stone-free rate after adjunctive procedures was 95%. Access was achieved without balloon dilation in all but 18 patients. There were 24 perforations, occurring in 31% of proximal, 8% of mid ureteral and 8% of distal stone manipulations. Of the evaluable patients 63% underwent radiographic assessment for stricture disease, 75% at 6 months or more after the procedure. The stricture rate was 3.5% in all patients and 5.9% in patients with perforations. Of 37 patients evaluated for vesicoureteral reflux only 1 had reflux. Questionnaire followup was obtained for 74% of the patients (mean followup 2.6 years) and 32% felt normal within 3 days. Postoperative symptoms included flank pain (13%), renal colic (12%), pelvic discomfort (30%) and Double-J stent related complaints (49%). Of the patients 15% have reported recurrent stones. Ureteroscopy is effective and well tolerated, and it has minimal long-term complications.