New concepts in the treatment of ureteral calculi

The management of patients with ureteral stones remains under debate in several areas. The ability to predict spontaneous passage has improved but remains imprecise, whilst the range of therapeutic options continues to widen. Excellent results can be obtained by both shockwave lithotripsy and ureteroscopic methods, with relatively minimal complications. Routine ureteral stenting is not warranted whichever treatment is chosen. In future, directly comparative studies should be designed to incorporate quality-of-life parameters rather than just stone-free status, to improve our understanding of the effect of treatment decisions on patients.