To determine risk factors and time course for repeat procedures after ureteroscopy (URS) or shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) procedure using a large employer-based claims database.

We identified all patients who underwent treatment for ureteral or renal stone with URS or SWL from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2014 using the IBM MarketScan Commercial Database. Repeat stone procedure was evaluated after a 90-day grace period from the index procedure. Patients were followed until December 31, 2017. We performed multivariate analyses using Cox proportional hazards to determine independent risk factors for repeat procedure after the initial stone removal.

A total of 189,739 patients underwent a SWL or URS and were included in the study. The incidence of repeat procedure per 100 person years was 6.8, and 4.4 after SWL and URS, respectively. The median time to reoperation was 12.5 months for SWL and 14.6 months for URS. On multivariable analysis, SWL was associated with an increased risk of repeat procedure compared to URS. (HR = 1.63). Paralysis, neurogenic bladder and inflammatory bowel disease were also associated with an increased risk of repeat procedure (HR = 1.66, 1.40, and 1.36 respectively)

In a large national cohort, patients with paralysis and neurogenic bladder had a significantly higher risk of repeat stone procedure. SWL was associated with higher risk of repeat procedure than URS. Urologists can use these data to identify and counsel patients at high risk for need for recurrent procedure.