Retrospective comparison of tubeless and standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy

Abstract

Comparison of tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy (tPCNL) and standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy (sPCNL) performed in renal stone surgeries in terms of patient comfort, post-operative hospitalization time and complications. Method: In our clinic, sPCNL was performed by placing a nephrostomy catheter in 87 patients out of 133 patients, and tPCNL was performed by placing a Double J catheter in 46 patients. Results: There was no statistical difference between the two patient groups in data such as age, gender, stone size, guy's score, stone variable, and side (p>0.05). Also in the perioperative data; operation time, stone-free rates, perioperative hemoglobin decrease, blood transfusion, and statistical difference between the two groups were not found (p>0.05). There was no significant difference between stone groups such as stonelessness rate, postop hemoglobin decrease, operation time and stone properties such as stone size, guy's score, stone variable (p>0.05). Analgesia dose, length of hospitalization, return to activity (p=0.001), fever during post-op period (p=0.016), urine leakage from the nephrostomy tract (p=0.002) were found to be statistically significant lower in the tPCNL group. More tPCNL was performed on the upper pole stones which was found statistically significant (p=0.008). Conclusions: Tubeless PCNL operation is an end urological method that can be applied effectively and safely by experienced surgeons with advantages such as less pain in early postoperative period, shorter hospitalization, returning to physical activity earlier, less fever and less urine leakage than nephrostomy tract.