Novel Coaxial Technique of Percutaneous Nephrostomy in Young Children: A Feasibility Study

The conventional Seldinger and trocar techniques of percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) have inherent limitations in infants and younger children. We studied the role of a novel coaxial technique of PCN in children under the age of 5 years in comparison to the conventional techniques.

This was a single-center feasibility trial based on 24 consecutive patients (n = 24 kidneys) under the age of 5 years, conducted over 12 months, substratified into Group I (n = 10): PCN with conventional Seldinger (n = 2) and trocar (n = 8) techniques and Group II (n = 14): PCN with proposed coaxial technique. In the proposed technique, catheter was inserted through the bore of a 14-G needle. The observation parameters included successful placement of PCN into the renal pelvis with free drainage of urine, number of needle punctures, duration of procedure, need for fluoroscopy, and procedural complications.

Proposed technique was successful in all cases with single-needle puncture, while conventional techniques were successful in 8/10 (80%) cases with multiple needle punctures required in 3/10 (33.3%) cases (P = 0.163 and 0.059, respectively). Proposed technique was associated with lower median procedure time (6 min vs. 10.5 min; P < 0.001) and lower incidence of fluoroscopy use (0/14, 0% vs. 5/10, 50%; P = 0.006) than the conventional techniques. No complications were seen with either technique.

The proposed coaxial technique is a feasible alternative to the conventional techniques of PCN in young children. It reduces the procedure time and the need for fluoroscopy in these patients.