Percutaneous stone extraction (CME) – online course

Description

Authors: A. Barnacle, T. J. C. Bryant, F. Ripa, B. K. Somani, I. Wilson

Reviewers: A. M. Ierardi, I. J. McCafferty, J. Nadjiri, D. Rossi, R. Uberoi

This course corresponds to chapter 2.2.3.2 Renal stone disease in the European Curriculum and Syllabus for Interventional Radiology.

Abstract

Percutaneous renal access is an integral aspect of day-to-day interventional radiology, encompassing difficult to access kidneys and non-dilated systems. These skills lend themselves to safe access for more involved techniques, such as percutaneous stone extraction, thereby establishing interventional radiologists an important part of any urinary tract stone service.

This course aims to outline radiological involvement in percutaneous renal stone management. The discussions will cover stone biochemistry, imaging features, and the implications for intervention. Emphasis will be placed on the significance of high quality pre-procedure imaging to assist planning, optimize access, and increase the chance of complete stone clearance. The course will explore techniques for access, choice of access sheath sizes, what equipment to use dependent on stone size, morphology, and location. Additionally, it will cover the assessment of stone clearance, management of post-procedure patients, identification of complications, and the recording of crucial outcome data.

Learning objectives

• Describe stone pathophysiology, analyse the imaging features of different stone biochemistries, and highlight stone properties that may affect percutaneous intervention.
• Evaluate renal anatomy and how it relates to percutaneous renal access including anatomical variants and their management.
• Identify challenges associated with different stone morphologies and develop a structure to optimize access track planning and equipment choice to give the best chance of technical success and a stone free outcome.
• Discuss the contraindications and relative contraindications of percutaneous stone extraction and describe alternative management strategies.
• Recommend an individualised treatment strategy according to the patient.
• Accurately assess treatment success and stone clearance and plan for post procedural management.
• Classify potential complications and develop pathways to ensure their early identification and management.
• Recognize and collate relevant outcome data to ensure safe practice and continued learning

Further information

This course covers a basic level of IR knowledge and is designed for trainees, students or young consultants aiming to acquire essential knowledge or prepare for the EBIR exam. Thereby, it is tailored to the European Curriculum and Syllabus for IR and corresponds to chapter 2.2.3.2 Renal stone disease.

The format of the course is interactive and easy to use, including texts, graphics, videos and a quiz to support your learning. The course duration is around two hours and is accredited by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME) to award 2 European CME credits (ECMEC). The CME accreditation for this course will expire on July 1, 2026. A non-CME accredited version of the course will remain available for two more years.

The acquired CME Certificate will be available in the myCIRSE area under CIRSE Academy.

The enrolment period of this course is linked to the validity of the All-Access Pass.

Release date: July 2024