einstein (São Paulo). 01/Apr/2015;13(2):IX-XI.

Urinary lithiasis: the perfect balance

DOI: 10.1590/S1679-45082015ED3312

Urinary lithiasis is one of the conditions that have undergone revolutionary changes in treatment over the past decades. The technological advances in diagnosis (with ultrasound and computed tomography) and interventional treatment of urinary calculi observed in the 1980s and 1990s were very striking. In this century, we have seen the improvement of techniques and the refinement of indications. Currently, the treatment of urinary calculi is almost exclusively by minimally invasive procedures, with extremely low rates of severe complications.

However, having minimally invasive procedures available does not mean they should be used indiscriminately. Many physicians sworn the Hippocratic Oath stating “they will not cut through the bladder”, but this is part of a distant past, and has been efficiently replaced by less invasive procedures. The principle of primum non nocere [first do not harm] remains a maxim of the medical profession. Therefore, the most appropriate interventions will be those precisely indicated for each situation. In this context, some situations are extremely commonplace, such as the following.

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