Comparison of the costs and morbidity of percutaneous and open flank procedures

A series of 47 percutaneous procedures for renal calculi was matched by description of calculi and previous flank exploration to 47 open flank procedures for comparison of relative morbidity and cost-efficiency. A retrospective analysis of paired data demonstrated that patients undergoing percutaneous procedures experienced significantly decreased duration of anesthesia, number of transfusions, postoperative disability, and duration and cost of hospitalization. These findings support the cost-effectiveness of the percutaneous approach to removal of renal calculi.