Renal function markers in single-kidney patients after percutaneous nephrolithotomy: A pilot study

The present study was performed to investigate and compare renal functions of single-kidney patients after 12 h of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) surgery through assessing major markers of renal function with focus on serum level of cystatin that performs a consistent accuracy in various conditions.

This pilot quasi-experimental study was done on 92 patients with single kidney having staghorn calculus who had undergone PCNL and were referred to the Al-Zahra Hospital, Isfahan, Iran, during 2019-2021. Serum levels of cystatin C, creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) urine level were evaluated before and 12 h after surgery.

The mean cystatin C decreased significantly 1.58 ± 0.55 versus mg/L 1.46 ± 0.52 after 12 h after surgery (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the mean levels of creatinine (2.04 ± 0.71 vs. 1.89 ± 0.60 mg/dL) and NGAL (39.72 ± 12.87 vs. 24.05 ± 10.89 μg/ml) were decreased significantly after 12 h of procedure (P < 0.05) while the mean eGFR (57.62 ± 27.59 vs. 64.68 ± 31.88 ml/min/1.73 m²) was increased significantly after 12 h (P < 0.001).

Due to significant improvement in all markers of renal after PCNL, this procedure can be considered a potentially effective and safe approach for treating large stone in single-kidney patients.