The ureteral access system: a review of the immediate results in 43 cases.

The ureteral access set was used 43 times during an 18-month period between 1984 and 1985. Stones lodged throughout the ureter and in the renal pelvis were extracted with a success rate of 51 per cent. Of the upper tract strictures 92 per cent were dilated successfully. Filling defects were diagnosed in 88 per cent of the cases. Foreign bodies were retrieved, Double-J stents were placed and biopsies were successful in each case. Ureteral perforation in 28 per cent of the cases was caused by the dilator in 8 of 12 (19 per cent over-all). The technique and short-term results are discussed. Long-term followup data are not yet available.