Pulsed dye laser in the treatment of 325 calculi of the urinary tract.

The pulsed dye laser (Candela) has been used from February 1988 to September 1989 in order to treat 325 stones in 278 patients. A total of 285 endoscopies has been performed. The pulsed laser has helped to achieve the fragmentation of 318 stones. Laser fragmentation has not induced any complication at all. The main failures can be attributed to the nature and shape of the stone. Thanks to the thin laser fiber, the use of small diameter ureteroscopes has increased the reliability of ureteroscopy. The use of this technique combined to extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) has reduced the rate of open surgery for ureteral stones down to less than 1%.