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. 2025 Jul 14;17(7):e87896.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.87896. eCollection 2025 Jul.

Complications of Semirigid Ureteroscopy in Ureteric Stone Treatment

Jigardeep Singh  1 , Vishwajeet Singh  1 , Satyanarayan Sankhwar  1 , Manoj Kumar  1 , Udham Singh  1
Affiliations

Complications of Semirigid Ureteroscopy in Ureteric Stone Treatment

Jigardeep Singh et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Introduction Ureteroscopy (URS) is a minimally invasive endoscopic technique commonly used to manage ureteric stones. This study prospectively reports and grades the complications associated with semirigid URS for ureteric stone removal and aims to identify factors contributing to these complications. Methods Prospective data were collected from 160 consecutive patients who underwent semirigid URS for ureteric stones at a single center between June 2021 and December 2022. Intraoperative complications were classified using Satava's system, while postoperative complications were categorized according to the Modified Clavien-Dindo classification. Results The overall complication rate was 19.4%. Intraoperative complications occurred in 9.4% of cases, postoperative complications in 10.6%, and 0.6% experienced both. The most frequent intraoperative complication was failure to reach the stone (3.8%), while postoperative fever was the most common postoperative complication (4.4%). Larger stone size (p = 0.03), proximal stone location (p < 0.001), and presence of comorbidities (p = 0.012) were significantly associated with higher complication rates. Conclusions Semirigid URS is generally a safe and effective treatment for ureteric stones, especially in patients with favorable stone characteristics and comorbidity profiles. However, caution is advised when managing larger or proximally located stones and in patients with multiple comorbidities, as these factors increase the risk of complications. Future research should focus on multicenter studies with larger cohorts and longer follow-up periods to better understand late complications such as ureteric strictures. Additionally, investigating the impact of surgeon experience and patient demographics on complication rates could help optimize case selection and management strategies in URS.

Keywords: clavien-dindo; complications; satava; ureteroscopy; urolithiasis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Informed consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. The Institutional Ethics Committee of King George's Medical University issued approval 2220/Ethics/2023. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Distribution of patients according to intraoperative complications
Figure 2
Figure 2. Distribution of patients according to postoperative complications
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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