[Clinical statistics on inpatient operations during a 27-year period at the Department of Urology, Mitsui Memorial Hospital].

Statistical observations of the inpatient operations at our department during the 27-year period from 1970 to 1996 revealed the following: A total of 9,287 operations were performed, comprising 7,488 males and 1,799 females. Operations for urolithiasis numbered 3,646 (39.3%) which was the most frequent, followed by operations for urological malignancies, 2,038 (21.9%) and for prostatic hyperplasia, 1,596 (17.2%). In the last decade, the number of operations for malignancies, prostatic hyperplasia, and especially for urolithiasis has increased. However the number of operations on pediatric cases has shown a marked decrease. Thanks to the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic medical modalities, including ultrasound, computed tomographic scans, endoscope and extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy, the frequency of early cancer has thus increased, and the surgical procedure of choice has dramatically shifted to minimally invasive surgery.