Treament of upper ureteral calculi with mini￣percutaneous nephrolithotomy

Objective To assess the safety and efficacy of minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy (MPCNL) in treating upper ureteral calculi. Methods 179 patients underwent MPCNL for upper ureteral calculi from June 2002 to May 2008 who were analyzed retrospectively. Results 179 cases were performed MPCNL in a single stage.Total clearance was achieved in 176 cases . The other 6 cases were stone free in second stage MPCNL.Average operative time was (64±23)min (range: 40-103 min). The average blood loss was (41.5±17.0) ml (range: 15-130 min),no case need blood transfusion and no severe complications were occurred in the patients. Average hospitalization stay was 7.5 days. Conclusions MPCNL offeres advantages with respect to less invasion, easy recovery, short hospitalization stay, high stone free rate, and less complications. It’s a good choice for complex upper ureteral calculi.