New self-developing film for intraoperative renal stone localization.

The use of intraoperative radiography for localization of small renal calculi has been a valuable adjunct to surgery. Unfortunately, because of the considerable time required for mobilization of the kidney, the development of x-ray films and the not infrequent need for repeat exposures, considerable time can be added to the operation. We have found that the use of Polaroid film can give high-quality intraoperative radiographs. The main advantage of Polaroid film over the standard Kodak kidney film is that the film is developed in the operative suite and, in most cases, requires less than one minute.