Ureteral calculi in octogenarians and nonagenarians: Contemporary in-hospital management—A joint study by the endourological section of the Austrian Association of Urology

AIM: To assess contemporary in-hospital management of octogenarians and nonagenarians with ureteral calculi. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Review of patients aged ≥80 years hospitalized due to ureteral calculi. Data was extracted from eight Austrian centers of urology. Stone and patient related data were recorded. Treatment patterns in acute and elective settings were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 759 patients hospitalized with ureteral calculi were analyzed. Out of them, 643 were octogenarians (80-89years) and 116 nonagenarians (90–99 years). In an acute setting, simple de-obstruction with urinary diversions outnumbered active stone treatments like URS and SWL (62.6% vs. 26.9% vs. 10.5%). Decision making whether patients underwent active stone treatment was driven by stone location (OR = 0.28, p<0.0001), impaired renal function (OR = 0.28, p = 0.01) and indwelling urethral catheters (OR = 0.23, p = 0.01) but not by age or extend of mobility (all p>0.05). In elective settings, 81.5% of procedures were active stone treatments–mainly URS (76.9%), while DJ stent or nephrostomy replacements were noted in 14.2% and 4.3%. Octogenarians (OR = 14, p<0.0001) and patients capable of walking (OR = 4.51, p = 0.01) had significantly higher odds of receiving active stone. Stone free rates and complications rates with URS were similar between octogenarians and nonagenarians (p = 0.98 and p = 0.58). CONCLUSION: In acute settings, age and extend of mobility were not found to be independent predictors for active stone treatment. In elective settings, after having received urinary diversions, reduced mobility and nonagenarians were less likely to undergo stone removal treatments. Safety and efficacy of URS seems to be similar in octogenarians and nonagenarians.