Purpose: To define the role of an antegrade occlusion balloon catheter in preventing migration of proximal ureteral stones to the dilated proximal ureter during endoscopic treatment.
Material and Methods: An occlusion balloon catheter was used in 8 of 21 patients with proximal ureteral stones who underwent ureterorenoscopy. Five of the eight patients had solitary kidneys admitting with anuria and had percutaneous nephrostomy. In the other three patients, percutaneous nephrostomy and occlusion balloon catheters were placed a day before the procedure, since these patients had total obstruction and massive dilatation of the proximal ureter and renal collecting system. The balloons of occlusion catheters were inflated with 1 ml of sterile saline proximal to the stones just before ureterorenoscopy.
Results: All stones could be reached by ureterorenoscopy and treated successfully with the aid of an ultrasonic lithotripter, and no stone migration to the upper dilated collecting system was observed. Just after the operation, while the patient was still lying on the operation table, the occlusion catheter was removed. The nephrostomy catheter was removed a day later. All patients were totally stone-free after the procedures.
Conclusion: Occlusion balloon catheters increase the ureteroscopic treatment success rate in proximal ureter stones. This should be kept in mind especially when dilatation of the proximal collecting system is prominent and in cases with unsuccessful previous intervention with a retrograde stone cone catheter.
