Ureteroscopy is an examination of the upper urinary tract, usually performed with a ureteroscope that is passed through the

urethra The urethra (from Greek οὐρήθρα – ''ourḗthrā'') is a tube that connects the urinary bladder to the urinary meatus for the removal of urine from the body of both females and males. In human females and other primates, the urethra c ...

and the

bladder The urinary bladder, or simply bladder, is a hollow organ in humans and other vertebrates that stores urine from the kidneys before disposal by urination. In humans the bladder is a distensible organ that sits on the pelvic floor. Urine enters ...

, and then directly into the

ureter The ureters are tubes made of smooth muscle that propel urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder. In a human adult, the ureters are usually long and around in diameter. The ureter is lined by urothelial cells, a type of transitional epit ...

. The procedure is useful in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders such as

kidney stone Kidney stone disease, also known as nephrolithiasis or urolithiasis, is a crystallopathy where a solid piece of material (kidney stone) develops in the urinary tract. Kidney stones typically form in the kidney and leave the body in the urine s ...

s and urothelial carcinoma of the upper urinary tract. Smaller stones in the bladder or lower ureter can be removed in one piece, while bigger ones are usually broken before removal during ureteroscopy. The examination may be performed with either a flexible, semi-rigid or rigid device while the patient is under anesthesia. In specific cases, the patient is free to go home after the examination.Ureteropyeloscopy.

Baylor College of Medicine Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) is a medical school and research center in Houston, Texas, within the Texas Medical Center, the world's largest medical center. BCM is composed of four academic components: the School of Medicine, the Graduate S ...

. 2018 ccessed 2018 Mar 5br>
/ref> In pyeloscopy, the endoscope is designed to reach all the way to the renal pelvis (also called ''pyelum''), thereby allowing visualisation of the entire drainage system of the kidney.Laser Stone Surgery using Flexible Pyeloscopy
at Kidney Stone Clinic, Dr. Raymond Ko. Retrieved September 2011 The endoscope can contain an instrument port which allows for introduction of laser fibres to fragment stones, and micro-baskets to retrieve stone fragments. Kidney stones up to 2 cm in size can be treated by pyeloscopy.

References

External links

International Kidney Stone Institute

Urologic procedures Endoscopy {{med-diagnostic-stub