Laparoscopic renal surgery is here to stay.

Objectives: To review the current literature comparing the outcomes of renal surgery via open, laparoscopic and robotic approaches.

Materials And Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed on PubMed, MEDLINE and Ovid, to look for studies comparing outcomes of renal surgery via open, laparoscopic, and robotic approaches.

Results: Limited good-quality evidence suggests that all three approaches result in largely comparable functional and oncological outcomes.

Pelvic Phlebolith: A Trivial Pursuit for the Urologist?

Objective: Pelvic phleboliths are commonly encountered on plain and CT imaging and remain a source of frustration when attempting to differentiate them from ureteral calculi. Given their frequency, surprising little is known about their significance. We review the literature on pelvic phleboliths, specifically in relation to their history, demography, clinical significance, and methods to distinguish them from ureteral calculi.