Predictor Role of Pretreatment Resistive and Pulsatile Indexes in the Success of Medical Expulsive Therapy of Ureteral Stones.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of renal resistive index (RI) and pulsatile index levels measured with renal Doppler ultrasonography in predicting the success of medical expulsive treatment in patients with ureteral stones.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients admitted to our clinic between January and December 2017 with a ureteral stone of less than 1 cm in diameter were evaluated in terms of their RI and pulsatile index values obtained using Doppler ultrasonography, and the localization and diameter of their stone and grade of hydronephrosis using computed tomography at the time of admission. After 4 weeks of medical expulsive treatment with tamsulosin, spontaneous stone passage was assessed to investigate the relationship between the data obtained before treatment and the success of medical expulsive treatment.

RESULTS: Forty-eight of 71 patients passed the stone spontaneously after treatment (67.6%). Among the related variables, the largest diameter of stone and ipsilateral RI levels were independently associated with the success of medical expulsive treatment (P <.001). In the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, a RI value of less than 0.72 was associated with spontaneous stone expulsion with a sensitivity of 89.6%, a specificity of 69.6%, and a positive predictive value of 97%.

CONCLUSION: It is possible to predict the success of medical expulsive treatment using RI levels. We anticipate that in patients who are not likely to pass the stones spontaneously with medical treatment, surgery should not be postponed to avoid irreversible kidney damage.