OBJECTIVE: To prospectively assess the clinical efficacy and safety of lower-pole fluoroscopically guided percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL). METHODS: A total of 90 renal units in 87 patients underwent lower-pole fluoroscopically guided PNL for renal calculi. The average patient age was 56.0 years. Staghorn calculi were present in 41 renal units. There were 22 were upper pole, 54 middle pole, 76 lower pole, 70 pelvic and 18 ureteropelvic junction calculi. Patients without significant residual fragments greater than 3mm on postoperative day 2 were defined as primarily successful. Significant residual fragments were treated with shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) every other day from postoperative day 3. RESULTS: Mean operative time was 129.5 min (SD, 49.0). Blood transfusion was required in four patients. Septic shock developed in three patients. Sixty-three percent of the patients (57 of 90 procedures) were primarily successful after PNL: 83.7% of non-staghorn patients (41 of 49 procedures) and 39.0% of staghorn patients (16 of 41 procedures). Of the 33 patients with significant residual fragments, 13 staghorn and six non-staghorn patients had residual fragments in their middle calyces. Of the preoperative variables, staghorn calculus and calculus in the middle calyx were significant predictors of significant residual fragments after PNL. After adjunctive SWL, the overall success rate was 94.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that lower-pole fluoroscopically guided PNL is a safe and effective therapy for patients with staghorn or non-staghorn calculi. In patients with staghorn calculi or calculi in the middle calyx, adjunctive treatment is sometimes required to treat significant residual fragments.
OBJECTIVE: To prospectively assess the clinical efficacy and safety of lower-pole fluoroscopically guided percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL). METHODS: A total of 90 renal units in 87 patients underwent lower-pole fluoroscopically guided PNL for renal calculi. The average patient age was 56.0 years. Staghorn calculi were present in 41 renal units. There were 22 were upper pole, 54 middle pole, 76 lower pole, 70 pelvic and 18 ureteropelvic junction calculi. Patients without significant residual fragments greater than 3mm on postoperative day 2 were defined as primarily successful. Significant residual fragments were treated with shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) every other day from postoperative day 3. RESULTS: Mean operative time was 129.5 min (SD, 49.0). Blood transfusion was required in four patients. Septic shock developed in three patients. Sixty-three percent of the patients (57 of 90 procedures) were primarily successful after PNL: 83.7% of non-staghorn patients (41 of 49 procedures) and 39.0% of staghorn patients (16 of 41 procedures). Of the 33 patients with significant residual fragments, 13 staghorn and six non-staghorn patients had residual fragments in their middle calyces. Of the preoperative variables, staghorn calculus and calculus in the middle calyx were significant predictors of significant residual fragments after PNL. After adjunctive SWL, the overall success rate was 94.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that lower-pole fluoroscopically guided PNL is a safe and effective therapy for patients with staghorn or non-staghorn calculi. In patients with staghorn calculi or calculi in the middle calyx, adjunctive treatment is sometimes required to treat significant residual fragments.