Comparison of minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy and transurethral ureteroscopic lithotripsy for impacted upper ureteric calculi

Objective To compare the efficacy of minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy(MPCNL) and transurethral ureteroscopic lithotripsy(URL) for impacted upper ureteric calculi.Methods A total of 70 cases were diagnosed as unilateral impacted upper urteric calculi during March,2008 to March,2012,of which 35 received transurethral URL and the other 35 received MPCNL.The stone-free rate,operation time,intraoperative blood loss,hospital stay and complications were statistically analyzed.Results In the MPCNL group,the stone-free rate was 97.14%(34/35) 3 days after operation and 100%(35/35) 1 month after operation.In the URL group,the stone-free rate was 25.71%(9/35) 3 days after operation and 82.86%(29/35) 1 month after operation.The MPCNL group had higher stone-free rates(P0.05).There were no statistical difference between the two groups in operation time,intraoperative blood loss,hospital stay and the incidence of postoperative hyperpyrexia(T38.5℃,P0.05).Conclusion As compared with the URL,MPCNL is more effective and can be the first choice for impacted upper ureteric calculi.