Retrograde intrarenal surgery for kidney stones larger than two centimetres

Abstract

According to the guidelines, percutaneous nephrolithotomy is the main treatment for patients with kidney stones larger than 2 cm. However, many studies have recently been published describing the safety and efficacy of retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) in the treatment of patients with kidney stones of similar size. This paper reviews the literature on the use of RIRS in the treatment of patients with kidney stones larger than 2 cm. The study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of RIRS in the treatment of kidney stones larger than 2 cm. Such indicators as the duration of surgical treatment, stone-free rate, intra- and postoperative complications were evaluated. Also, the history of the development of ureteroscopy as a diagnostic and therapeutic method for diseases of the upper urinary tract is briefly reviewed. The material was searched in the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases.

Keywords

• ureteroscopy
• retrograde intrarenal surgery
• ureteroscopes
• single-use flexible ureteroscopes
• kidney stones
• large kidney stones
• lower calyx kidney stones
• postoperative complications
• upper urinary tract
• history