Effectiveness and Safety of Ureteroscopic Holmium Laser Lithotripsy for Upper Urinary Tract Calculi in Elderly Patients

Upper urinary tract calculi are common; however, there is no recommended treatment selection for elderly patients. Ureteroscopic holmium laser lithotripsy (URS lithotripsy) is minimally invasive, and it provides a high stone-free rate (SFR) treatment for upper urinary tract calculi. Here, we retrospectively evaluated the surgical outcomes of URS lithotripsy after dividing the 189 cases into 3 groups by patient age: the '< 65 group' (< 65 years old, n=108), the '65-74 group' (65-74 years old, n=42), and the '>= 75 group' (>= 75 years old, n=39). The patients 'characteristics, stone status, and perioperative outcomes were assessed. The 65-74 group and the >= 75 group had a significantly higher prevalence of hypertension compared to the < 65 group. Compared to the < 65 group, the 65-74 group had a significantly higher prevalence of hyperlipidemia, and the >= 75 group had significantly higher the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) scores. Despite these preoperative risk factors, SFR and postoperative pyelonephritis in the 65-74 group and the >= 75 group were similar to those of the < 65 group. In conclusion, URS lithotripsy is the preferred treatment for upper urinary tract calculi, even for elderly patients who have multiple preoperative risk factors.