Keyhole vs. scope: which stone surgery wins?

This study compared two common surgeries for removing large upper ureteral stones (10-20 mm): ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URS), which uses a thin scope through the urinary tract to break the stone, and laparoscopic ureterolithotomy (LU), which uses small abdominal incisions to remove the stone directly. Fifty-six adults with a single stone were randomly assigned to one procedure. The goal was to see which method is safer and more effective by measuring operation time, hospital stay, pain, complications, and stone-free rate after four weeks.