Impact of obesity on ureteroscopic laser lithotripsy of urinary tract calculi

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The treatment of urinary tract stones in obese patients may differ from the treatment of non-obese patients and their success rate varies. Our objective was to compare ureteroscopic treatment outcomes of ureteral and renal stones, stratified for stone size and location, between overweight, obese and non-obese patients. Materials and Methods: Charts were reviewed for 500 consecutive patients presenting at our institution for renal and ureteral stones. A total of 107 patients underwent flexible or semi-rigid ureteroscopy with HoYAG laser lithotripsy and met criteria for review and analysis. Results: Overall, initial stone-free rates were 91 percent, 97 percent, and 94 percent in normal, overweight and obese individuals respectively. When compared to non-obese patients, there were no significant differences (p value = 0.26; 0.50). For renal and proximal ureteral stones, the stone-free rate in overweight and obese individuals was 94 percent in both groups; and a stone-free rate of 100 percent was found for distal stones, also in both groups. Conclusions: Ureteroscopic treatment of stones in obese and overweight patients is an acceptable treatment modality, with success rates similar to non-obese patients.