Safety and efficacy of ultrasound-guided percutaneous nephrolithotomy for treatment of urinary stone disease in children.

OBJECTIVE: To present the feasibility and efficacy of ultrasound-guided percutaneous nephrolithotomy for the treatment of urinary stone disease in children.
METHODS: The medical records and files of 17 patients with renal stones (17 renal units) who were aged ≤ 16 years who had undergone ultrasound-guided percutaneous nephrolithotomy from 2008 to 2010 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. Ultrasonography was used for guidance in all patients in every step of the procedure. Fluoroscopy was used to aid in tract dilation in the initial cases of the series and to evaluate for stone clearance in all cases. The operative and postoperative findings were assessed.
RESULTS: The average age of the patients was 8.8 ± 2.86 years (range 5-15). The mean stone size was calculated as 337.4 ± 52.9 mm(2) (range 260-446). The mean operative time was 67.9 ± 14.58 minutes (range 45-95). Fever, urine leakage, and bleeding requiring blood transfusion were observed in 3, 1, and 1 patient, respectively. The fluoroscopic screening time was limited to 17.76 ± 15.5 seconds (range 1-54). Neighboring organ injuries were not observed. The overall success rate improved from 82.35% to 100% with additional treatment modalities (shock wave lithotripsy in 2 and ureteroscopy in 1).
CONCLUSION: Percutaneous nephrolithotomy can be safely performed with ultrasound guidance in children, providing the advantages of less radiation exposure, no adjacent organ injury, and similar success and complication rates compared with fluoroscopic guidance.