Intraoperative Factors Associated With Postoperative Febrile Infectious Complications Following Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery: A Propensity Score-Matched Study

Purpose: To investigate the intraoperative factors associated with postoperative febrile infectious complications following retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS).Materials and Methods: A total of 352 patients who underwent RIRS for renal stones between March 2017 and December 2022 were included in the analysis. Preoperative factors included age, sex, body mass index, underlying diseases, preoperative urine analysis results, and stone characteristics on computed tomography scans. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on the presence (group B) or absence (group A) of postoperative febrile infectious complications. Intraoperative factors—such as the degree of hydronephrosis on retrograde pyelography (RGP), stone impaction on endoscopic findings, size of the ureteral access sheath (UAS), grade of ureteral wall injury, operation time, and stone composition—were compared retrospectively.Results: Postoperative febrile infectious complications occurred in 44 patients (12.6%). Following 1:3 propensity score matching, preoperative factors were analyzed for 44 patients (group B) and 132 patients (group A). Group B had a significantly longer hospital stay than group A (p=0.007); however, no significant differences were observed in postoperative pain (p=0.862) or stone-free rate (p=0.197). Hydronephrosis (odds ratio [OR], 7.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.65–20.19) and high-grade ureteral wall injury (OR, 4.15; 95% CI, 1.88–9.12) were independently associated with postoperative febrile infectious complications, whereas no significant associations were observed for stone impaction, UAS size, operation time, or infectious stone composition.Conclusions: Hydronephrosis identified on RGP and high-grade ureteral wall injury during RIRS were associated with postoperative febrile infectious complications and may serve as potential markers for risk stratification.