Is Outpatient Totally Tubeless Standard Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy Safe and Efficacious?

Introduction and Objectives: Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is the gold standard treatment for large, complex intrarenal stones. Tubeless PCNL (t-PCNL) where no nephrostomy tube is placed and totally tubeless PCNL (tt-PCNL) in selected patients have been well described. There has been no study to our knowledge discharging patients the same day totally tubeless. In this study, we describe our experience with tt-PCNL on a totally outpatient basis-with the patient going home with absolutely no tube, catheter, or stent, evaluating its safety and efficacy vis-à-vis a comparison with outpatient t-PCNL patients discharged with an indwelling stent. Methods: We prospectively collected data from 130 consecutive patients scheduled for outpatient PCNL from August 2023 to January 2024. Demographics, stone characteristics, and intraoperative data were compared. Outcomes included postoperative (post-op) pain, stone-free rate (SFR), 30-day complications, and ED visits or readmissions. Categorical variables were compared using Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests and continuous variables via Mann-Whitney U tests. Results: After exclusions, 53 patients underwent tt-PCNL and 50 had t-PCNL. Demographics and stone burden did not differ between groups. No visceral or pleural injuries occurred in either group. Post-op transfusion rates, SFR, 30-day complications, ED visits, and readmissions were also comparable between the two groups. The mean operative (OR) time and incidence of Clavien-Dindo I complications were higher with t-PCNL with stent (80 minutes vs 58 minutes, p < 0.001,16% vs 3.8%, p = 0.048). Post-op pain scores and postanesthesia care unit stay times were similar. Conclusions: In this first ever comparison of outpatient t-PCNL to tt-PCNL, we found the same-day discharge of tt-PCNL patients to be safe and effective. Stent omission in our patients did not increase the risk of RF, ED visits, complications, or readmissions. A large, multicenter, randomized prospective controlled trial will help to confirm our findings.