Ureteroscopy for stone disease in the paediatric population: a systematic review

The aim of the present review was to look at the role of ureteroscopy (URS) for treatment of paediatric stone disease. We conducted a systematic review using studies identified by a literature search between January 1990 and May 2013. All English-language articles reporting on a minimum of 50 patients aged 18 years treated with URS for stone disease were included. Two reviewers independently extracted the data from each study. A total of 14 studies (1718 procedures) were reported in patients with a mean (range) age of 7.8 (0.25-18.0) years. The mean (range) stone burden was 9.8 (1-30) mm and the mean (range) stone-free rate (SFR) 87.5 (58-100)% with initial therapeutic URS. The majority of these stones were in the ureter (n = 1427, 83.4%). There were 180 (10.5%) Clavien I-III complications and 38 cases (2.2%) where there was a failure to complete the initial ureteroscopic procedure and an alternative procedure was performed. To assess the impact of age on failure rate and complications, studies were subcategorized into those that included children with either a mean age <6 years (four studies, 341 procedures) or a mean age >6 years. (10 studies, 1377 procedures). A higher failure rate (4.4 vs 1.7%) and a higher complication rate (24.0 vs 7.1%) were observed in children whose mean age was <6 years. URS for paediatric stone disease is a relatively safe procedure with a reasonably good SFR, but there seems to be a higher failure and complication rate in children aged <6 years.