The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical value of the PolyScope™
endoscope system in the treatment of upper
urinary calculi with a diameter of <2 cm. A total of 86 patients hospitalized with upper urinary tract
calculi were included. The patients were placed under general or
spinal anesthesia and in a lithotomy position. Following the dilation of the ureter, a guide wire was inserted under the direct vision of an F8/9.8 rigid
ureteroscope, and an F12/14 flexible ureteral access sheath was positioned along the guide wire.
Holmium laser lithotripsy was subsequently performed, using an F8.0 'PolyScope' modular flexible
ureteroscope. Plain film of the kidney-ureter-bladder (KUB) was performed 1 day subsequent to the surgery, in order to determine the result of the
lithotripsy and the position of the double-J
stent which was inserted after after
holmium laser lithotripsy. In addition, in certain patients, KUB radiography was performed 2-4 weeks subsequent to the surgery, and
extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) was performed if the diameter of the residual stones was >6 mm.
Lithotripsy was successful in 77 patients and the duration of the surgery ranged between 25 and 80 min (mean duration, 42 min). Little
bleeding was observed. Three patients presented with a slight
fever following the surgery; however, no ureteral perforation, high
fever or
septicemia was observed among the patients following anti-inflammatory treatment. The stone-free rate (SFR) of the single-pass
lithotripsy was 89.5% (77/86) and the SFR with ESWL was 96.5% (83/86). The study demonstrated that the F8 modular flexible
ureteroscope was safe, convenient and effective for the
lithotripsy of upper-tract
calculi.