Aim: To evaluate the safety of tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in geriatric patients.
Materials and method: This is a retrospective review of 401 patients who received tubeless PCNL in a single institute. Among these, 50 were performed in patients aged older than 70 years (group 1), while 351 were performed in the remaining younger patients (group 2).
Results: There was no significant difference in stone size between the 2 groups (3.6 +/- 1.9 vs. 3.5 +/- 2.0 cm). The average operative time was similar in both groups (92.8 +/- 34.5 vs. 86.6 +/- 32.0 min). The stone-free rate in groups 1 and 2 was 68.0% (34/50) and 83.8% (294/351), respectively, which was statistically significantly different. The average postoperative hospital stay was longer in group 1 (4.6 +/- 3.4 days) than in group 2 (3.9 +/- 2.5 days), but the difference was not statistically significant. There was no significant difference in postoperative urinary tract infection rate and blood transfusion rate in both groups (urinary tract infection: 18.0 vs. 8.8%; blood transfusion: 4 vs. 2.6%). Two patients in group 1 and 3 patients in group 2 experienced pulmonary complications. There was no other severe complication.
Conclusion: Tubeless PCNL is a safe procedure for the treatment of geriatric patients with urolithiasis.
Copyright 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.