Comparative study of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy versus mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy for the treatment of nonlower calyceal 10–20 mm size kidney stone

Purpose: Urolithiasis is a common medical condition and the treatment is mainly minimally invasive methods. There exists no specific guidelines for the treatment of radio-opaque solitary non lower calyceal kidney stones of 10–20 mm in literature and no head to head study comparing both the procedures. Hence, this study was performed to have a specific guide for the treatment of such stones. Materials and Methods: This study, included all patients aged >18 years, with solitary radiopaque calculi of 10–20 mm size in upper or middle calyx or pelvis of the kidney. A total of 105 patients were assigned to receive extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) or mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for treatment of stone were enrolled in the study and the results were compared in terms of retreatment, stone-free rate (SFR), and complications. Results: The SFR was statistically higher in the mini PCNL group for all locations. The SFR for the ESWL group was low after 1st session; however, it increased with multiple sessions. We had a total of 9 complications in both groups, which was statistically insignificant. Conclusion: This study showed that the mini PCNL is a viable, safe option for the treatment of 10–20 mm non lower calyceal stones, having superior SFRs compared to ESWL with statistically insignificant complications. It can be offered as first-line option for the management of such stones.