Retrospective analysis of stone basket combined with flexible ureteroscope holmium laser lithotripsy in the treatment of lower calyceal stones.

The aim of the study was to investigate the efficacy of stone baskets combined with flexible ureteroscope holmium laser lithotripsy (FURL) in the treatment of lower calyceal stones (LCS). A total of 216 patients with LCS who underwent FURL in our hospital were analyzed retrospectively and divided into observation group (n=129, with stone basket) and control group (n=87, without the stone basket), according to whether the stone basket was used during FURL. The operation time, stone size, stone clearance rate, steinstrasse incidence rate and complication rate were collected and analyzed. There were no significant differences between the two groups in preoperative gender, BMI, age, stone size and comorbid diseases (p > 0.05); no significant differences between the two groups in the change of procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, white blood cell count and hemoglobin after the operation (p>0.05); the operation time in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (80.12±8.25 vs. 61.93±6.55, p=0.019); the short-term stone clearance rate (85.27% vs. 66.67%, p 0.001) and long-term stone clearance rate (95.35% vs. 85.06%, p=0.021) of the observation group were significantly higher than those of the control group; the incidence rate of steinstrasse (0% vs. 8.05%, p<0.001) and overall complications (7.75% vs. 16.09%, p=0.009) in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group. Stone basket combined with FURL is safe and feasible for the treatment of LCS, which can improve the stone clearance rate and reduce the risk of steinstrasse formation after the operation.