This study demonstrated that in 2284 patients, SES URS led to a one-month SFR of 85.8% overall. To our knowledge, this is the largest continuous series of patients in the literature to undergo SES URS. On multivariate analysis, intraoperative basketing was associated with higher odds of achieving stone-free status. Conversely, increased age, higher stone burden, and the placement of a stent after the procedure were associated with lower odds of achieving stone-free status. Though age was a statistically significant predictor, the odds ratio trended to zero, thus hinting that this association may not be of clinical relevance. Studies have previously shown SFR to be comparable between younger and older patients [9].
An increase in stone burden meant higher volume of disease, which is a known risk factor for residual disease. In cases where the surgeon was not confident about complete stone clearance, a stent was placed to aid in collecting system drainage. This may explain the association that was found between stent placement and SFR. Intraoperative basketing was associated with a higher SFR. From this, it may be reasonable to conclude that the use of SES does not ensure complete stone clearance during URS and thus, may require further basketing/dusting. Surgeons who perform SES URS must be aware of the need for further manual stone clearance if necessary; this is a decision that must be made intraoperatively. The primary use of SES URS may be only to decrease operative time and infectious complications.
High IRP during URS may promote the translocation of bacteria into the bloodstream, causing life-threatening urosepsis [10]. The continuous suction evacuation of fluid and fragments by the SES decreases IRP, resulting in a lower incidence of infectious complications after URS [11]. In this study, we found a 4.6% incidence of fever and 1.4% incidence of sepsis after SES URS, which is in line with prior findings [12]. In a systematic review of traditional URS, sepsis rates ranged from 0.5%-11.1% [13]. We noted an overall complication rate of 9.6%, with more than half of those being Clavien-Dindo 1. Only 1.28% of patients experienced a major complication (Clavien-Dindo ≥ 3), thus demonstrating the safety of SES URS for renal and ureteric stone treatment. Similar complication rates have been noted in previous studies that have explored the outcomes of vacuum-suction devices [14–16].
The use of SES has been increasing due to shorter operating times, convenient instrumentation, and a lower incidence of postoperative infectious complications. The use of SES (ClearPetra) in PCNL has been studied well, with one randomized controlled trial (RCT) demonstrating shorter operative times and comparable stone free rates with the use of the suction device [17]. On the other hand, fewer prospective studies in SES URS have been carried out to date, and this remains a relatively unexplored area in the literature. An RCT assessing Kidney Injury Molecule-1 (KIM-1) levels after URS and found that the use of SES was associated with lower KIM-1 levels when compared to URS without the use of an access sheath [18]. In addition to single arm studies, few reports have analyzed the outcomes of SES URS in comparison to traditional URS. In a matched analysis of 330 patients, the authors found significantly lower infectious complication rate in the SES group, along with shorter operative time, and higher early SFR [19]. Another retrospective study examining the differences between traditional sheaths and SES found that patients with predictable risk factors for infections could benefit from the use of SES [20]. The current study corroborates these earlier findings, as we found similar SFR and complication rates. Further RCTs are required to truly ascertain the differences between conventional URS and SES URS.
This study is not without limitations. Firstly, the retrospective nature of our study may have introduced bias into our analysis. Additionally, this was a single arm study that did not have a matched group for comparison. Finally, we did not measure IRP due to a lack of instrumentation. To compensate for this, we measured the rates of postoperative infectious complications (fever and sepsis) and postoperative renal damage (creatinine), which are both consequences of increased IRP. We found low rates of infectious complications (as outlined above), and very little difference between preoperative and postoperative creatinine (thus implying little or no renal damage).
Despite these limitations, we believe this study is valuable as it represents the largest continuous series of patients to undergo SES URS for renal stone disease and highlights the potential need for continued manual extraction with basketing during SES URS, while providing evidence of the safety of this procedure.