To explore the clinical efficacy comparison of disposable flexible ureteroscope under two sheath depths.

A retrospective analysis of 83 patients who underwent disposable flexible ureteroscopic surgery for the treatment of renal calculi in the Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from December 2020 to December 2021 was performed, and the use of long sheath or short sheath was determined according to the patient's height. For patients using a long sheath, the ureteral access sheath was placed at the ureteropelvic junction as the L1 group, and the ureteral access sheath was placed 5 cm below the ureteropelvic junction as the L2 group. Similarly, for patients with a short sheath, the ureteral access sheath was placed at the ureteropelvic junction as the S1 group, and the ureteral access sheath was placed 5 cm below the ureteropelvic junction during the operation as the S2 group. The age, BMI and other general information of the patients in each group, as well as the preoperative stone size, average CT value, postoperative creatinine level, the incidence of complications such as sepsis, and the stone-free rate at 1 month after surgery were statistically analyzed.

There were no significant differences in general information such as age and BMI among the groups (P>0.05); there was no significant difference in the preoperative stone diameter, average CT value, and whether the double J tube was indwelled between the groups (P>0.05); there was no significant difference in postoperative creatinine level, low back pain, fever and sepsis incidence rate and 1 month postoperative stone-free rate among the groups (P>0.05).

Using the same type of disposable flexible ureteroscope access sheath for the treatment of renal calculi, there is no significant difference in the clinical efficacy between the two insertion depths of the ureteral access sheath, and the sheath can be routinely placed 5 cm below the ureteropelvic junction during the operation.