Treating renal calculi 1-2 cm in diameter with minipercutaneous or retrograde intrarenal surgery: a prospective...

To plan a prospective comparative case-control designed study aiming to compare minipercutaneous (miniperc) and retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) for a renal calculus of size 1-2 cm.

A total of 64 cases (32 in each arm) underwent miniperc and RIRS during the study period from March 2009 to April 2011. The primary and secondary outcome objective was stone-free rate and retreatment rate, complications, operation duration, patient visual pain scores, analgesic requirement, haemoglobin drop and hospital stay, respectively.

Miniperc and RIRS had stone clearance rates of 100% and 96.88%, respectively. In the RIRS group, one patient required retreatment at 1 month. Hospital stay (0.24) and intra-operative (0.99) and postoperative complications (0.60) were similar in both groups. Operation duration (P = 0.003) was lower in the miniperc group. Haemoglobin drop (P < 0.001), patient pain and visual analogue scale score (each P < 0.001) at 6, 24 and 48 h, as well as analgesic requirement (P < 0.003), were all lower in the RIRS group.

The stone clearances in both modalities are high and complications are low. RIRS requires a larger operation duration, although it is associated with favourable pain scores and a lower haemoglobin drop.