Percutaneous nephrostomy performed on kidneys with a thin renal cortex: a retrospective study of daily urine output in 46 nephrostomy procedures

Abstract

This study investigated whether a thin renal cortex or any morphological kidney measurements can be predictors of post percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) renal function, thereby lessening the need for the procedure. All patients underwent unilateral PCN that were performed under sonographic and fluoroscopic guidance. Kidney morphological measurements were subsequently taken to measure residual renal function; a thin renal cortex was defined from a computed tomography (CT) showing a cortical thickness <10 mm. Urine output was recorded daily, with patients divided into anuric and nonanuric groups. Morphological measurements of residual renal function, such as renal length (p=0.004), renal width (p=0.004), renal thickness (p=0.008), and renal size (p=0.004) were significantly higher in nonanuric than anuric patients. Urine output increased by 85.47 ml/day for every millimetre increase in renal width (p=0.026) and 65.31 ml/day for every millimetre increase in renal thickness (p=0.024). Simple linear regression analyses showed that cancer patients had a significantly lower urine output (358.73 ml/day; p=0.046) than those without cancer. This study showed that urine output and other clinical data can provide an index to evaluate residual renal function before deciding to perform PCN procedures.