Minimally invasive management of acute ureteral obstruction and severe infection caused by upper urinary tract calculi

PURPOSE: To evaluate therapeutic efficacy of two minimally invasive surgical methods in managing acute ureteral obstruction and severe infection caused by upper urinary tract calculi (UUTC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data of 47 patients diagnosed with acute upper urinary tract obstruction and severe infection caused by ureteral calculus using X-ray CT between September 2014 and January 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were treated with immediate renal drainage and, after infection and ureteral obstruction were relieved, UUTC removal. Renal drainage was performed by ultrasound-guided percutaneous nephrostomy and retrograde ureteral catheterization was performed using cystoscopy. Kidney and ureteral stones were removed; renal function and the urinary tract were examined by X-ray during follow-up. RESULTS: Percutaneous nephrostomy was performed in 29 patients in a critical condition including intolerance to surgery, high-grade hydronephrosis, or failure of retrograde ureteric stent placement. In other 18 patients diagnosed with small stones (<= 10 mm) and low-grade hydronephrosis, indwelling double-J ureteral stents were temporally installed by a cystoscope. Acute infection and ureteral obstruction were relieved; white blood cell counts returned to normal values within 3 to 7 days after drainage in all patients. In the second-stage treatment, percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), ureteroscopic lithotripsy, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy and nephrectomy were performed in 24, 10, 8 and 5 patients, respectively. No patients developed severe complication after stone removal surgery. All patients were followed up for 3 months to 4.5 years. Renal function was significantly recovered; 17/29 (59%) patients with elevated serum creatinine returned to normal and serum creatinine in 12/29 (41%) patients improved significantly after drainage, with a pre-operation level of 285 +/- 169 mu M vs 203 +/- 91 mu M post-operation (P = 0.014). Five patients were lost during follow-up. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated an optimal approach for relieving upper urinary tract obstruction and acute infection in which percutaneous nephrostomy drainage is preferred for patients with severe pyonephrosis, large stones (>10 mm) with high-grade hydronephrosis, steinstrasse, or failure in retrograde ureteric stent placement, while retrograde ureteral catheterization using cystoscopy is suitable for patients diagnosed with small stones (<= 10 mm) and low-grade hydronephrosis.