Nephrostolithotomy: percutaneous techniques for urinary calculus removal.

Recently the technique of percutaneous nephrostomy has been modified to allow the percutaneous extraction of urinary calculi. This communication describes experience with the percutaneous extraction of 63 calculi from the urinary tract. An overall success rate of 87%, a low incidence of complications (about 3%), a fast recovery, and sooner return to work are obtained. Several technical variants including grasping, fragmentation, flushing, and removal under direct vision have been used. In most cases, a combination of the different techniques has to be used in one patient. Essential to the technique is the introduction of large dilators into the kidney.