Management of urethral stones in dogs using pneumatic and laser lithotripsy

Objective Description of clinical experience with two different lithotripsy modalities for treatment of urethral stones in dogs. Material and methods Retrospective analysis (October 2016 - November 2017) of medical records from dogs with urinary stones that underwent transurethral pneumatic or laser lithotripsy. Results In 28 male and 5 female dogs, either pneumatic lithotripsy (39 %) or laser lithotripsy (61 %) was performed. In the urethra, stone free rates of 100 % in females and over 85 % in males could be achieved using either fragmentation modality. In 3 of 28 (11 %) male dogs, after fragmentation of urethral stones, urethral patency was impaired because of endoscopically suspected polypoid urethritis requiring urethrostomy. In 8 out of 28 (29 %) male dogs and in 1 of 5 (20 %) female dogs, an additional lithocystotomy was necessary to achieve stone-free status in the lower urinary tract. Conclusion and clinical relevance Transurethral pneumatic or laser lithotripsy of urinary stones is a successful procedure in dogs. Major pathological conditions of the urethral mucosa may require further surgical or interventional methods for the restoration of a functional urethra.