Treatment of kidney Staghorn stones with minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy

Objective To assess the safety and feasibility of minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy in treating kidney Staghorn stones. Methods One hundred and eight patients with kidney calculi treated by minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy from January 1998 to May 2004 were retrospectively investigated.Results Of 108 cases, 86% stone-free rate was achieved using one-stage minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy. All cases were with 1 to 3 tracts. Only one case of pyonephrosis suffered from postoperative infective shock in one-stage minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Another one case of diabetes suffered from postoperative ketoacidosis, no major complications were noted in the other patients. Conclusion Minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy is safe and effective in treating kidney calculi. Compared to traditional percutaneous nephrolithotomy, it has the advantages of less invasion and easy recovery.