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Context: Nowadays, urolithiasis has become a highly prevalent disease. Recent studies indicate that retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) is becoming more popular among surgical treatments due to the preference of patients and providers. This minimally invasive procedure results in high stone-free rates and relatively low morbidity; however, complications resulting from infection can still occur, including acute urinary tract infection, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, and sepsis. Objective: To identify the independent risk factors for sepsis following RIRS, as well as general risk factors that may contribute to this life-threatening complication in the pre- and intraoperative periods. Evidence acquisition: A literature review was conducted in April 2020 using the Medline, Scopus, and Cochrane databases. We searched the references of included papers. Evidence synthesis: We screened 2306 manuscripts and selected 13 for inclusion. The sepsis rate ranged from 0.5% to 11.1%, and the septic shock rate ranged from 0.3% to 4.6%. All selected studies mentioned risks for sepsis and/or infective complications (including sepsis), but only four of them addressed independent risks for urosepsis. These independent risk factors were stone size, high irrigation pressure, prolonged stent dwelling time (>30 d), sepsis as an indication for stent insertion, female gender, positive intraoperative bladder urine culture, longer surgical time, and diabetes mellitus. Conclusions: RIRS is associated with a low sepsis rate, according to the latest evidence. However, given that this is a serious life-threatening complication, knowing its potential risk factors is extremely important. Patient summary: In this report, we looked at the outcome of sepsis after planned retrograde intrarenal surgery for stone disease in patients with and without comorbidities. This information may be useful for colleagues in their daily practice.

Objective: To define the role of ureteroscopy for treatment of staghorn calculi. Methods: A systematic review was conducted using the Scopus and Medline databases. Original articles and systematic reviews were selected according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Only studies relating to the role of ureteroscopy for treatment of staghorn calculi were included. Results: In five studies on ureteroscopic monotherapy, stone-free rate (SFR) ranged from 33% to 93%, with a maximum four ureteroscopy sessions per patient and no major complications. Endoscopic combined intrarenal surgery (ECIRS) was compared with percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) in two studies and reached significantly higher SFR (88%–91% vs. 59%–65%) and lower operative times (84–110 min vs. 105–129 min). The role of salvage ureteroscopy for residual stones after primary PNL has been highlighted by two studies with a final SFR of 83%–89%. One study reported on the feasibility of ureteroscopy for ureteral stones and same-session PNL for contralateral staghorn calculi, with a SFR of 92%. Conclusion: Ureteroscopy plays a pivotal role in the setting of a combined approach to staghorn calculi. Ureteroscopy is also particularly suitable for clearance of residual stones. In specific cases, ureteroscopy may become the sole applicable therapeutic option to staghorn calculi. Technological advances and refinement of techniques suggest a major role of ureteroscopy for staghorn calculi treatment in close future. Keywords: Staghorn calculi, Ureteroscopy, Percutaneous nephrolithotomy, Combined approach, Intrarenal surgery, Simultaneous bilateral endoscopic surgery

During the past 3 decades, the surgical management of kidney stones has undergone many technological advances and one is the development of the flexible ureteroscopy. The development of this instrument as well as ancillary equipment such as baskets, graspers, and others, and improvements in lithotripsy with Holmium: YAG laser have led to expand its indications with diagnostic and therapeutic management of medical issues of the upper urinary tract such as urolithiasis and urothelial tumors. The objective of this review is to describe its indications and results in the different scenarios for the treatment of urinary stones. Keywords: Ureteroscopy, Retrograde intrarenal surgery, Endourology, Urolithiasis