Endourologic Treatment of Late Migration of Embolization Causing Nephrolithiasis in Two Patients

Selective renal artery angioembolization is the first treatment option in case of significant bleeding after percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Migration of embolization material into the collecting system is extremely rare. The treatment of this condition is not standardized, but manual extraction, ultrasound fragmentation, and holmium laser lithotripsy have been described. We report the laser extraction of these coils in two patients at our center with two different approaches: retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) and endoscopic combined intrarenal surgery (ECIRS). They were young male patients aged 25 and 29 years at the time of surgery, and they were 2-5 years postembolization when they presented to our center for symptoms such as hematuria and passage of small stone fragments. The first patient was managed solely with RIRS, whereas the second patient required ECIRS because of significant bleeding after coil removal, which necessitated hemostasis using a resectoscope. For patients who present with recurrent stones or other symptoms such as pain, hematuria, or flank pain, the diagnosis of migrated embolization coils should be considered. Management can be via the retrograde or percutaneous approach, but in the setting of significant amount of migrated coils or significant bleeding after their removal, percutaneous access may allow more definitive hemostasis.