https://doi.org/10.4081/aiua.2026.15821
WhatsApp-assisted telemedicine for ureteral stone management: a pilot study
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Accepted: 20 July 2026
Published: 25 September 2026
Background: Telemedicine has gained increasing importance in urology, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling remote patient monitoring and reducing hospital visits. To evaluate the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of a WhatsApp-based telemedicine follow-up model in patients with ureteral stones managed conservatively.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between March and May 2020. Ninety-nine patients with a single ureteral stone < 10 mm were included. All patients received medical expulsive therapy and were followed for 30 days using a structured WhatsApp-based monitoring system. Pain scores, analgesic use, stone passage, complications, and patient satisfaction were recorded.
Results: The median age was 55 years, and the mean stone size was 6.1 ± 1.5 mm. Spontaneous stone passage occurred in 34.3% of patients, while 26.2% required JJ stent placement. Larger stone size (p < 0.001) and proximal location (p = 0.002) were associated with intervention. Pain scores and analgesic requirements decreased significantly over time (p < 0.01). No major complications were observed. WhatsApp-based monitoring enabled timely clinical decision-making and reduced unnecessary hospital visits.
Conclusions: WhatsApp-assisted telemedicine is a feasible, safe, and cost-effective approach for managing ureteral stones. Larger prospective studies are required to validate these findings.
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CRediT authorship contribution
RBE: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – Original Draft, Data Analysis. MFO and IT: Data Analysis, Writing – Review & Editing. SB and EC: Data Collection, Visualization, Writing – Review & Editing. APL: Critical Review. TES and LD: Manuscript Revision. TT: Supervision. All the authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Supporting Agencies
Data Availability Statement
The data supporting this study's findings are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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