Factors Affecting Urethral Catheter Placement Following Flexible Ureterorenoscopy: RIRSearch Study Group

Background/Purpose: To investigate the factors affecting UC placement following flexible ureterorenoscopy (fURS) and the effect of urethral catheter (UC) placement on patient quality of life. Methods: The present study was performed in prospective manner from 1st January 2015 to 30th December 2023, and patients with renal stones smaller than two centimeters who underwent fURS were analyzed for study inclusion. Patients’ demographic characteristics, operative parameters, success of procedure, complications, and VAS score were recorded. Patients were categorized into two groups according to UC placement or not. These groups were compared according to preoperative parameters, intraoperative data, complications, success and VAS at postoperative 6th hour. Results: In total, 324 patients were enrolled into the study. UC was inserted in 170 patients following fURS and was not inserted to 154 patients. In the patient group with UC placement, ratio of male patients (p= 0.002), ratio of anticoagulant use (p= 0.002), preoperative creatinine level (p=0.001), stone size (p= 0.001), stone burden (p= 0.001), and ratio of multiple stones (p= 0.001) were significantly higher. Operation time was significantly longer (p= 0.003) and intraoperative complications (p= 0.045) were significantly higher in patients with UC insertion. Need for additional analgesia and VAS score was significantly lower in patients without UC placement (p= 0.004 vs. p= 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that male gender, higher preoperative creatinine level, higher stone size and stone burden, and longer operation time were predictive factors for UC placement following fURS (p= 0.008, p= 0.001, p= 0.001, p= 0.010, and p= 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that UC placement following fURS was associated with increased analgesia requirements and more pain. Moreover, our study demonstrated that male gender, higher preoperative creatinine level, higher stone size and stone volume, and longer operation time resulted in UC insertion after fURS.