To preliminarily evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of modular rigid ureteroscopy in treatment of upper urinary calculi without hydrops.

Ninety-four patients diagnosed with upper urinary calculi without hydrops were admitted to the Second People's Hospital of Zhaoqing between June 2014 and September 2016. Among them, 47 patients underwent lithotripsy using modular rigid ureteroscopy, and other 47 cases received extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL). Clinical data of all patients were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical efficacy was accessed and statistically compared between the two groups.

Thirty-seven patients successfully completed stage I lithotripsy using modular rigid ureteroscopy. The mean operation time was (56±19) min. The ureteral calculi were successfully removed after balloon dilatation in 3 patients with ureteral stenosis.Two patients retained the double J stent and underwent ESWL at postoperative 3 d. Four cases received stage II lithotripsy using modular rigid ureteroscopy at 2 weeks after retaining double J stent. One patient received lithotripsy using rigid combined with flexible ureteroscopy. No intraoperative massive hemorrhage, ureteral avulsion or ureteral perforation occurred. After removal of double J stent, 1 patient suffered from ureteral stenosis. One case presented with high fever and 1 with intermittent hematuria postoperatively. In the combination type rigid tube mirror group, the removal rate of urinary calculi was 65.9% (31/47), the mean length of hospital stay was (8.4±3.5) d. In the ESWL group, the removal rate of urinary calculi was 42.5% (20/47), significantly lower compared with that in those undergoing lithotripsy using modular rigid ureteroscopy (P<0.05).

Modular rigid ureteroscopy is an efficacious treatment of upper urinary calculi without hydrops, which causes slight trauma, yields high removal rate and induces mild postoperative complications.