Treatment Methods for Upper Ureteral Calculi

Upper ureteral stones can be treated with oral medications, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), or ureteroscopic lithotripsy. For upper ureteral stones smaller than 0.6 cm in diameter, conservative management with oral litholytic medications is recommended. For larger upper ureteral stones, ESWL may be employed. Alternatively, a retrograde transurethral approach can be used: under direct visualization with a monitoring system, the ureteroscope is advanced to the upper ureter to locate the stone, after which a lithotripsy device is used to fragment the stone into smaller pieces.