Study on the clinical effect of digital flexible ureteroscopic holmium laser lithotripsy combined with nitinol stone baskets in the treatment of 2-4 cm diameter renal calculus

Objective To study the clinical effect of digital flexible ureteroscopic holmium laser lithotripsy (FURL) combined with nitinol stone baskets in the treatment of 2-4 cm diameter renal calculus by retrospective analysis. Methods The clinical data of 98 patients with renal calculus underwent FURL in our department were collected. The diameter of the calculus was 2-4 cm. Among them, 47 cases (control group) underwent FURL and the other 51 cases (observation group) who were treated with FURL also and had used the nitinol stone baskets during the operation. The operation time, hospitalization time, number of operation, the one-time stone clearance rate, postoperative bleeding and fever rate, and steinstrasse formation rate were compared. Results There was no significant difference in the sex ratio, mean age, maximum diameter of calculus and average CT value of calculus in the two groups. The observation group's postoperative hospital stay and the number of operation were less than the control group(P<0.05), but the average operation time was (118.82 ± 40.36)min, longer than the control group(P<0.05), the average operation time was (101.30 ± 35.06)min, the one-time stone clearance rate of the observation group(80.39%) was significantly higher than 57.45% in the control group. The steinstrasse formation rate in the control group was 4.26%, which was significantly higher than that in the observation group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the postoperative bleeding and fever rate. Conclusions It is safe and feasible to treat 2-4 cm renal calculus with FURL combined with nitinol stone baskets, which can significantly improve the one-time stone clearance rate, reduce the risk of steinstrasse formation and shorten the hospitalization time, reduce the number of operations, very suitable for application and promotion in the qualified hospitals. Key words: Kidney Calculi; Ureteroscopy; Lasers, Solid-State; Holmium; Lithotripsy, Laser