A development of percutaneous nephrostomy has laid the foundation for a major advance in the treatment of urolithiasis. The percutaneous, nephrolithotomy has already, become an accepted alternative to conventional surgery. With the use of a variety of instruments, calculi can be either removed intact or if too large, fragmented in situ and extracted.
We have performed percutaneous extraction of renal and upper ureteral stones in 50 patients via Storz percutaneous universal nephroscope.
An overall success rate of 74% including 60% in initial, 88% in subsequent period, an acceptable incidence of complication, a rapid convalescence, sooner return to work, minimal postoperative pain and a cost effectiveness were obtained.
We conclude that percutaneous nephrolithotomy can be the primary choice of treatment in renal and upper ureteral stones.
|