Outcomes of (chinese) mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy for renal stones: a prospective trial

Objective: Mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mini-PCNL) has been recently advocated as a minimally invasive procedure for the management of renal stone. In this trial, we assessed the postoperative outcomes of chinese mini-PCNL (MPCNL) in adult patients with renal calculi less than 3 cm in diameter. Material and methods: We performed a single-arm prospective trial that recruited adult patients with unilateral single kidney stones less than 3 cm. Patients were followed up for the assessment of postoperative complications and stone-free status. Results: Sixty patients were included in the present study, with a mean age of 36.9 ±8.5 years and slightly male predominance (56.7%). The mean operative time was 133.7 ±29.2 minutes. None of the patients needed a nephrostomy tube or DJ tube stent. The mean hospital stay was 1.4±0.62 days. Eight patients (13.3%) showed mild perinepheric collection on the postoperative US. All patients had mild postoperative pain, with no incidence of post-operative bleeding, residual stone, sepsis, or pelvi-calyceal injury. A total of four patients (6.7%) had a postoperative fever. The incidence of postoperative urine was 13.3%. Conclusion: Chinese Mini-PCNL is an effective minimally invasive modality for the management of renal calculi less than 3 cm, with a low rate of postoperative complications and excellent stone-free status. Mini-PCNL can be used in well-resourced centres to reduce postoperative complications and hospital stay among patients with renal calculi.