Retrograde intrarenal surgery in patients with spinal deformities

To present our experience with retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) for managing renal stones in patients with spinal deformities.

We retrospectively reviewed the records of eight patients with congenital scoliosis (n=6), ankylosing spondylitis (n=1), or spina bifida (n=1) who had undergone RIRS for renal stones. Stone-free status was determined by CT 30 days after the procedure and was defined as the absence of stones in the kidney or residual fragments ≤ 1 mm.

Mean patient age was 32.5 years (8-51 years), and mean stone size was 15.8 mm (9-20 mm). The average operative time was 46.5 minutes (25-75 min), and postoperative hospital stay was 1.12 days (1-2 days). A stone-free status was obtained in six (75%) patients, and two patients were considered to have treatment failure. A Double-J stent was placed at the end of the procedure in five (62.5%) patients. Double- J stent discomfort was reported by one (20%) patient who was treated conservatively. No severe complications, either from anesthesia or the surgical procedure, were observed, and no blood transfusion was reported.

The good clearance rate with a low incidence of complications shown by the present study has demonstrated that RIRS is a safe and effective procedure for renal stones in patients with spinal deformities.