Abstract
Objectives To comparatively evaluate the outcomes of standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) versus a 36 Fr PCNL in terms of operative time, complications, hospital stay, and stone free rates. Patients and Methods The data of 125 PCNL cases, out of the 168 PCNLs done from January 2014 to December 2015, was retrospectively analyzed within two subsets, namely group-A (standard PCNL with 22-32 Fr Amplatz) and group-B (modified large PCNL with 36 Fr Amplatz). The demographic profile, stone characteristics, operative and laboratory parameters, and stone clearance rate were analyzed to determine the safety and efficacy of the modified large PCNL as against standard PCNL. Results Group-A comprised 88 patients with 100 renal units, while group-B comprised 37 patients with 45 renal units. The mean age of the patients in Group-A was 49.1 + 13.1 years, and in Group-B was 52.4 + 11.4 years (range 25-84 years) with a male to female ratio of 4:1. 54.5% and 75.7% unilaterally intervened, group-A and group-B patients respectively, required < 90 minutes for the procedure. Nine patients (10.2%) each of unilaterally and bilaterally intervened group-A cases had an operative time that exceeded 120 minutes compared to only two (5.4%) bilaterally intervened group-B cases. For patients with stone burden >1000 mm2, there was statistically significant (p = < 0.0001) higher complete stone clearance rates with the 36Fr PCNL compared to standard PCNL. Conclusion Our retrospective analysis revealed that 36 Fr PCNL is safe and efficacious in carefully selected patients with large stone burdens providing the advantage of better stone-free rates, less operative time, lesser need for additional punctures without increasing blood transfusion and complications rates. However, more extensive prospective randomized trials are needed to confirm this perceived benefit.
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