Objective: To evaluate the efficiency and safety of flexible ureteroscopy (FURS) and holmium lithotripsy for intrarenal stones and to stratify the efficiency and safety by stone burdens of ≤20, 20-40, and ≥40 mm. Methods: Five hundred eighty-two patients with intrarenal stones were treated with FURS and holmium lithotripsy at a single department from August 2008 to October 2013. Stone size was evaluated by calculating the cumulative stone diameter of all intrarenal stones, and stone-free status was defined as the absence of any stone or stone fragment <1 mm in the kidney. Results: Data analysis revealed a mean stone burden of 21.8 ± 7.6 mm. The overall primary stone-free rate (SFR) was 65.3%, which increased to 89.0% 6 months after the first surgery. Complications developed in 6.7% of patients. A significant difference was found between lower-calyx stones and other stones (p < 0.001; p = 0.006), while noncalcium stones had a much higher SFR than calcium stones (p < 0.001; p = 0.04). Conclusion: Our study showed that the overall renal SFR with the use of FURS and holmium lithotripsy was satisfactory, with a relatively low complication rate. We believe that FURS with holmium lithotripsy could be a valuable choice for patients with renal stones, especially for patients with a cumulative stone burden ≤40 mm.

Pre-ablation measurement of DeltaIMP and DeltaT can indicate the lesion size resulting after ablation in temperature-controlled, power-controlled and irrigated ablation in vitro, since DeltaT reflects cavitary cooling and to a smaller extent electrode-tissue contact, and DeltaIMP reflects only electrode-tissue contact.

Objective This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of Super-mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy (SMP) and flexible ureteroscopy (F-URS) in the treatment of 20–30 mm renal stones in obese patients. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of outcomes of patients who underwent SMP and F-URS to treat 20–30 mm renal stones from August 2017 to September 2018. Patients with BMI >30 kg/m2 were enrolled into this study. Forty-eight patients underwent SMP, while 104 patients underwent F-URS by the same surgeon. The patients’ demographic data, stone characteristics, perioperative parameters and outcomes, complications, stone-free rate (SFR) and overall costs were retrospectively assessed. Results No significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of age, gender, BMI, operation side, stone size, number, locations, stone compositions and CT value. The mean operation time was significantly shorter in the SMP group (p < 0.001), while the F-URS group had significantly shorter postoperative stays (p < 0.001) and lower complication rates (p < 0.001). Both groups had similar SFR at a 3-month follow-up (p = 0.190), while the SMP group achieved significant higher SFR 3 days after the operation (p < 0.001). The SMP group had a significantly lower overall cost and fewer stage-2 procedures than the F-URS group. Conclusion SMP and F-URS are equally effective in obese patients with 20–30 mm renal stones. However, F-URS offers the advantage of a lower complication rate, while SMP performed better in terms of operation time, tubeless rate, stage-2 procedures and overall costs.

Objective To assess the safety and efficacy of prostatic arterial embolization (PAE) for elderly patients with lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to large benign prostatic hyperplasia. Methods Twenty-eight patients (>80 years of age) with prostate volume >80 mL were enrolled from October 2016 to October 2019. PAE was performed using microspheres and functional results were evaluated at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. The following data were recorded: International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life (QoL), maximum urine flow rate (Qmax), post-void residual urine volume, prostate volume and total prostate-specific antigen level. Results Selective prostatic arterial catheterization and embolization were achieved in 27 of 28 patients. Follow-up data were available for those 27 patients until 12 months postoperatively. Significant improvements were found at all postoperative time points in terms of the mean IPSS, mean QoL score, mean Qmax, mean post-void residual urine volume, mean total prostate-specific antigen level, and mean prostate volume. The overall complication rate was 46.4%. Conclusions PAE is an efficacious and safe treatment for elderly patients with large prostate volume; it may offer an effective approach for patients who are not candidates for open or endoscopic surgical procedures because of comorbidities.

Background: Percutaneous radiologic gastrostomy (PRG) was considered as an alternative technique for long-term enteral nutrition, and the current study is aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of this technique in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at a single medical center. Methods: From July 2017 to October 2020, a total of 14 patients underwent PRG with ALS were included in this retrospective study with a median age of 64.0 years, and 78.6% were male. The procedure comprised a dilation of the stomach via a nasogastric catheter, followed by puncture and gastrostomy tube placement under fluoroscopic guidance. The technical success rate and clinical outcomes were recorded over 3 months following the procedure. Results: The technical success rate was 100%. During the follow-up period, minor complications were reported in 2 of patients (14.3%) including superficial skin infection and early tube block. Neither major complications nor mortality were observed. Body mass index of the patients increased significantly from 16.4 ± 2.1 kg/m 2 to 17.1 ± 2.0 kg/m 2