Is spinal anesthesia a safe alternative for retrograde intrarenal surgery for stone disease in daily practice?

OBJECTIVES: Retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) is commonly performed under general anesthesia (GA) because renal mobility during breathing may affect lithotripsy. However, spinal anesthesia (SA) is adopted in clinical practice due to clinical conditions that contraindicate GA. We aimed to compare results of RIRS for stones performed under GA compared to SA regarding stone-free rate (SFR) status and postoperative complications in a consecutive single-center series. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all patients who underwent RIRS for stones between 2017 and 2020. INCLUSION CRITERIA: age ≥ 18 years, renal stone burden deemed suitable for RIRS with a stone diameter ≤ 20 mm. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: stones >20 mm, urinary tract infection, bilateral surgery, second-look procedures, unmodifiable bleeding diathesis, <5mm asymptomatic lower calyx stones. SFR was defined as no residual fragment >3 mm at 6-12 weeks follow-up. The choice of anesthesia was a shared decision between anesthesiologists and patient preference. RESULTS: 230 patients were included in the analysis. Mean age was 57.50±13.73 years. 33% of stones were located in the pelvis. 28.7% of patients had multiple stones. Mean cumulative stone diameter was 16.60±6.54 mm. 63% of patients underwent RIRS under SA. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of preoperative characteristics, except for comor-bidity, significantly higher in the GA group. Mean time of operating room occupation was longer in the GA group (81.58±35.37 minutes) than in the SA group (72.85±25.91 minutes,p=0.033). Length of stay was shorter in the SA group (mean 2.2±1.66 days vs 3.46±5.88 in GA,p=0.019). Logistic regression showed that multiple stones in the collecting system were associated with residual fragments (HR 0.386, 95%CI 0.151-0.991,p=0.04). There were no statistically significant differences in overall and high-grade complications, and in SFR between SA (75.9%) and GA groups (70.6%,p=0.317). CONCLUSION: SA does not affect SFR and postoperative complications in patients who underwent RIRS in daily practice.

A novel technique of ultrasound-guided lateral cutaneous branch of the iliohypogastric nerve block: A cadaveric study.

BACKGROUND: The lateral cutaneous branch of the iliohypogastric nerve (LCBIN) block combined with the lateral femoral cutaneous, superior cluneal and subcostal nerve blocks has been shown to provide complete anaesthetic coverage for the incisions used for hip arthroplasty. Successful ultrasound-guided selective nerve blocks have been described for these nerves, except for the LCBIN. The objective of this cadaveric study was to determine the position of the LCBIN in order to provide the anatomical basis for an ultrasound-guided nerve block approach. Furthermore, we aimed to evaluate the spread of injected dye after using the ultrasound-guided nerve block approach. METHODS: The LCBIN and its relationship with iliac crest (IC) was assessed bilaterally in 27 adult cadaveric dissections. Bilaterally, in two cadavers, an ultrasound transducer was applied transversely above the IC and moved in caudal or cranial direction to identify the LCBIN. A needle was inserted in-plane and 3 ml of a solution with methylene blue was injected and confirmed by dissection. RESULTS: The mean distance from the anterior superior iliac spine to the point where the LCBIN crossed the IC was 9.74 ± 0.84 cm. The mean distance from the point where the nerve pierced the aponeurosis of the external oblique muscle to the point where it crossed the IC was 0.59 ± 0.77 cm. The nerve was easily visualised in 3 out of 4 sides using ultrasound. However, the nerve was coloured in all cases. CONCLUSION: The present study showed that the LCBIN has a constant location and is sonographically easy visualized in a well-defined anatomical space. Thus, the ultrasound guided LCBIN block may be an alternative to the blind injection technique.

Is spinal anesthesia a safe alternative for retrograde intrarenal surgery for stone disease in daily practice?

Objectives: Retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) is commonly performed under general anesthesia (GA) because renal mobilityduring breathing may affect lithotripsy. However, spinal anesthesia (SA) is adopted in clinical practice due to clinical conditionsthat contraindicate GA. We aimed to compare results of RIRS for stones performed under GA compared to SA regarding stonefree rate (SFR) status and postoperative complications in a consecutive single-center series.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all patients who underwent RIRS for stones between 2017 and 2020. Inclusion criteria:age ≥ 18 years, renal stone burden deemed suitable for RIRS with a stone diameter ≤ 20 mm. Exclusion criteria: stones >20mm, urinary tract infection, bilateral surgery, second-look procedures, unmodifiable bleeding diathesis, <5mm asymptomaticlower calyx stones. SFR was defined as no residual fragment >3 mm at 6-12 weeks follow-up. The choice of anesthesia was ashared decision between anesthesiologists and patient preference.Results: 230 patients were included in the analysis. Mean age was 57.50±13.73 years. 33% of stones were located in the pelvis.28.7% of patients had multiple stones. Mean cumulative stone diameter was 16.60±6.54 mm. 63% of patients underwent RIRSunder SA. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of preoperative characteristics, except for comorbidity, significantly higher in the GA group. Mean time of operating room occupation was longer in the GA group (81.58±35.37minutes) than in the SA group (72.85±25.91 minutes,p=0.033). Length of stay was shorter in the SA group (mean 2.2±1.66 days vs3.46±5.88 in GA,p=0.019). Logistic regression showed that multiple stones in the collecting system were associated with residualfragments (HR 0.386, 95%CI 0.151-0.991,p=0.04). There were no statistically significant differences in overall and high-gradecomplications, and in SFR between SA (75.9%) and GA groups (70.6%,p=0.317)...(AU)