Abstract

Modern treatment modalities of renal stone disease today are extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, percutaneous nephroscopy and ureterorenoscopy. According to the data of the Estonian Urological Society  data for 2007, ESWL accounted for 28%, reteroscopy accounted for 60% and percutaneous nephroscopy accounted for 10% in Estonia. Minimally invasive surgery is a leading treatment modality for nephrolithiasis worldwide and open surgery for renal stones is declining. Our two-year experience in ureterorenoscopy for renal stones in North-Estonian Regional Hospital shows that it is a minimally invasive procedure with only a few postoperative complications. In conclusion, ureterorenoscopy for treatment of renal stones is an effective procedure with 50–90% of stone free rate postoperatively and its effectiveness is comparable to that  of ESWL. Flexible ureterorenoscopy is emerging as one of the mainstays of treatment of the upper tract calculi rather than as a technique for exclusive use by the enthusiast. According to preliminary experience in our institution, flexible ureterorenoscopy may be considered a firstline treatment for intrarenal calculi of 1 cm or less and is of particular value in obese patients or in those with bleeding diathesis, multiple stones and lower pole stones.