Bilateral simultaneous totally tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy: preliminary report of six cases

To evaluate the feasibility and safety of bilateral simultaneous tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL).

From August 2007 to January 2008, six patients underwent bilateral simultaneous totally tubeless PCNL. Patients who needed more than one access, who had significant intraoperative bleeding, and who had pelvicaliceal system perforations or a residual stone were excluded from the study group. Preliminary results were analyzed in six patients.

Five men and one woman patient with a mean age of 50.1 years underwent a bilateral totally tubeless procedure. The mean stone burden was 524.5 mm(2) (range 100 mm(2)-1800 mm(2)). The mean drop in hemoglobin was 1.55 g/dL (range 0.6-2.6 g/dL). No blood transfusion was necessary in any patient. The mean hospitalization time was 1.8 days (range 1-4 d). A complications was encountered in one patient; the patient had anuria postoperatively for 16 hours, which resolved after the insertion of bilateral Double-J stents.

Bilateral simultaneous tubeless PCNL procedure should be kept in mind for selected patients. Prospective randomized studies with large series are necessary for further evaluation of the procedure.