[Percutaneous nephrolithotomy of renal staghorn calculi. Experience with monotherapy treatment]

Seventy patients with renal staghorn calculi were treated with percutaneous nephrolithotripsy monotherapy. Nine patients (13%) required more than one nephrostomy to remove the stone: an overall success rate was obtained in 67% of the cases, with 27% of residual asymptomatic fragments. Open surgery was necessary in 4 patients for complications. No nephrectomies were carried out. Comparing complete and partial, better results as expected, were obtained in partial staghorn calculi. Evaluating results stratified per number of treatments, we obtained a stone-free rate of 35% with only one treatment, and 61% with two percutaneous sessions, at the discharge from the hospital. To date, initial percutaneous debulking of the stone followed by ESWL treatment on residual stones, seems to be the most suitable approach to branched calculi. However, in selected cases, PCNL treatment alone, can obtain removal of the stone in a significant percentage of cases, with minimal morbility, and, what's more, at the discharge from the hospital, without any ancillary procedure or rehospitalization.