Stone research indicates URS over ESWL trend continuing

This article is part of the State of Urology 2014

Dr. AssimosAt the 2012 AUA annual meeting, researchers reported that ureteroscopy had overtaken extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) as the treatment of choice for kidney stones. Look for research at this year’s meeting showing that trend is ongoing.

“Shock wave lithotripsy utilization is on the decline in both children and adults, while ureteroscopic stone removal is increasing in both cohorts,” said Dean G. Assimos, MD, professor and chair of urology at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.

Another study identified by Dr. Assimos will show that “flexible ureteroscopic stone removal is an effective and safe method of treating patients harboring proximal ureteral stones,” he said.

Other high-interest abstracts in stone disease treatment listed by Dr. Assimos will demonstrate that “burst wave” ultrasound lithotripsy may effectively fragment stones extracorporeally without inducing significant tissue injury; a newly developed device may limit stone fragment migration during lithotripsy undertaken during percutaneous nephrolithotomy; and steroids appear to improve results with medical expulsive therapy in patients with distal ureteral stones only when administered with an alpha-blocker but not when given alone.

Here are Dr. Assimos' top abstract picks from the 2014 AUA annual meeting:

MP27-18: Does Thiazide Prophylaxis For Calcium-Based Stones Increase the Risk of New-Onset Diabetes Mellitus?
John Knoedler

MP18-11: Pediatric nephrolithiasis: Practice patterns and cost of surgical management
Jamal Nabhani

MP18-12: The effects of different treatment protocols on the degree of renal injury in patients with renal stones receiving shockwave lithotripsy.
Chi-Fai Ng

PD7-09: Contemporary Surgical Trends in the Managment of Upper Tract Calculi
Daniel T. Oberlin

MP18-15: National rates of ureteral stenting during extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy among hospitalized patients in the United States
Vidit Sharma

MP18-05: The efficacy of tamulosin (Tams) alone vs corticosteroids vs tamsulosin + corticosteroids in determining the spontaneous passage of distal ureteral stones: Results of a prospective study
Maurizio Brausi

MP18-06: A prospective, multi-institutional study of flexible ureteroscopy for proximal ureteral stones <2 cm
Elias Hyams

MP18-07: Does Combination Therapy with Tamsulosin and Tolterodine Improve Ureteral Stent Discomfort Compared to Monotherapy with Tamsulosin?- A Randomized Controlled Trial
Necole M. Streeper

PD37-10: Auriclosene Irrigation Solution Reduces Indwelling Urinary Catheter Encrustation and Prevents Blockage: Results of a Phase 2 Clinical Study
Todd Linsenmeyer

PD37-03: PercSac: A Novel Device to Prevent Stone Fragment Migration during Percutaneous Lithotripsy
Jodi Antonelli

PD37-01: Evaluation of stone comminution and tissue injury in vivo using a novel method of lithotripsy without shock waves
Adam Maxwell

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