Percutaneous nephrolithotripsy in patients with urinary diversions: a case-control comparison of perioperative...

To compare the operative techniques and perioperative outcomes of patients with urinary intestinal diversions undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotripsy (PCNL), to a control cohort of patients without diversions.

The medical records of all patients who were treated with PCNL from 1990 to 2009 were retrospectively reviewed. Each urinary diversion patient's first PCNL was age-matched with four controls who were undergoing PCNL. The perioperative outcomes were compared between the diversion and control cohorts.

Twenty-five patients with a urinary diversion who had undergone 33 PCNLs were identified. The mean age was 49.3 (8-85) years for the diversion group and 48.9 (4-84) for the control group. Urinary tract infection (64% vs 15% patients, P<0.0001), neurologic disease (64% vs 2%, P<0.0001), previous procedure for the same calculus (24% vs 4%, P=0.0004), urinary tract abnormalities (56% vs 14%, P<0.0001), solitary kidney (20% vs 3%, P=0.0081), and struvite stones (80% vs 12.5%, P=0.0006) were more commonly observed in the diversion group. Percutaneous access gained by a radiologist (40% vs 0%, P<0.0001), second-look nephroscopy (36% vs 16%, P=0.0466), and an increase in the frequency of fever or sepsis (8% vs 0%, P=0.0387) were identified more frequently in the diversion group.

Patients with upper tract calculi and urinary diversions are challenging to the endourologist because of anatomic factors that can make percutaneous access more difficult; ultrasonography-guided access can be helpful in this setting. Patients with urinary diversions can be treated as safely and effectively by PCNL as nondiverted patients.