Our experience with percutaneous nephrolithotomy in pediatric renal stone disease

Objective: In this paper, we present our experience with percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) in a pediatric patient group.

Material and methods: From June 2007-September 2010, we performed a PNL on 57 children with a mean age of 7.56 (1-15) years.

Results: The mean stone burden was calculated to be 312.2 (95-1550) mm². Percutaneous access was performed under fluoroscopy; tract dilatation was accomplished with 20 F Amplatz dilatators. Pneumatic lithotripsy was used to fragment the renal calculi. Subcostal access was used in all of the patients, and none of the patients had any complications. The mean operating time was 34 (3-80) minutes. The stone-free rate was calculated to be 96.4%, and there were some residual fragments in 2 (3.5%) patients. Two patients had a febrile episode without signs and symptoms of bacteremia. The average postoperative hospitalization was 2.9 (1-12) days.

Conclusion: Based on our experience, we conclude that PNL is a safe and effective method in the pediatric patient group.