Does leaving residual fragments after percutaneous nephrolithotomy in patients with positive stone culture and/or renal pelvic urine culture increase the risk of infectious complications?

The residual fragments in patients with preoperative and intraoperative culture positivity may serve as an infection focus. The aim of this study was to assess the importance of residual fragments for developing SIRS in patients with stone culture and/or RPUC positivity. After obtaining institutional review board approval, a total of 729 patients who undergone PCNL for renal stones were included in this study. Residual fragments accepted to be positive if any fragment was detected irrespective of size. All patients were followed-up postoperatively for SIRS criteria. The patients were then followed-up for residual stone-related events and infectious complications. 94 of the 729 patients have developed SIRS postoperatively. SIRS positivity was more common among males and found to be associated with higher stone burden and presence of staghorn stone. Patients with residual fragments after PCNL also had higher rates of SIRS. In the subgroup analysis of 203 patients who had post-PCNL residual fragments, the peroperative stone and/or RPUC positivity was not found to be associated with the development of the SIRS. Although presence of residual fragments after PCNL is associated with SIRS development, stone culture and/or RPUC positivity has no additional risk for development of post-PCNL infectious complications in patients with residual fragments.