Percutaneous nephrostomy for deflation and stone treatment, I.

A simple technique of percutaneous nephrostomy and renal calculus treatment is reported. The pertaining equipment and method are so highly accomplished today that the majority of stones can be removed percutaneously, largely dispensing with the need for surgical operation. The method has proved particularly efficient in secondary operations. It can be put to work at every urologic department where an X-ray table with closed-circuit TV is available and a surgical team is at hand, ready to cope at once with complications, presenting themselves rarely in the form of secondary bleeding, injury of a nearby organ, etc. Therefore the urologist should be advised to perform the renal puncture himself. Endoscopic removal of the stone, the easier part of the operation, can be carried out in a single session; but for larger stones which are less easy to cope with, it should be done a few days after creation of the fistula, when the tunnel has sufficiently indurated to permit effortless work. The percutaneous method, since it removes the stone at once, is usually superior to the more expensive extracorporeal nephrolithotripsy but the two may complement each other.