Safety and Efficacy of Emergency Ureteroscopy with Intracorporeal Lithotripsy in Patients Presented with Urinary Tract Infection with Mild Sepsis

Objective: To assess safety and efficacy of emergency ureteroscopy (URS) with intracorporeal lithotripsy for management of distal ureteral stones in highly selected cases presented with urinary tract infection (UTI) with mild sepsis. Patients and Methods: Patients presenting with a solitary distal ureteral stone ≤20 mm with UTI with mild sepsis at two tertiary care centers between January 2016 and December 2018 were included. Patients were randomly assigned into one of two groups; Group I (GI) managed by direct emergency definitive URS and Group II (GII) managed by Double-J ureteral stent insertion. Both groups were compared regarding operative time, time to normalization of leukocytosis and temperature, analgesic consumption, length of hospital stay, and any perioperative complications. Stone-free status was defined as complete stone removal or residual nonobstruction fragments of ≤2 mm. Results: A total of 124 patients were included; 55 in GI and 69 in GII. Both groups were comparable regarding demographic and baseline data, length of hospital stay (2.0 ± 0.14 vs 1.99 ± 0.12 days, p = 0.78), time to normalization of total leukocytic count and body temperature, and analgesic consumption. Patients in GII had significantly lower operative time, compared to those in GI (22.2 ± 6.7 vs 44.6 ± 8.7 minutes, p < 0.001). Stone-free rate in GI was 98.1%. Both groups were comparable in postoperative adverse events [5 (9.1%) vs 8 (11.6%), p = 0.76], respectively, in GI and GII. Most complications were low grade, without reported mortality rate. Conclusion: Emergency URS with intracorporeal lithotripsy seems to be safe and efficient definitive alternative to temporary ureteral stenting in highly selected patients presenting with UTI with mild sepsis secondary to obstructing distal ureteral stones.