Evaluation of Body Image Perception in Patients Who Have Undergone Endoscopic Surgery for Kidney Stones: A...

The body image perception (BIP) of patients may deteriorate after surgery. Our study aims to evaluate the BIP of patients who underwent retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) because of kidney stones.

A total of 158 patients, including 46 patients who underwent PCNL, 57 patients who underwent RIRS and 55 patients in a healthy control group, were included in this prospective study. The BIP of patients was evaluated by using the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Scale (BDDS) questionnaire. BDDS was administered to patients during the preoperative period and in the first and third postoperative months. The BDDS scores of patients were compared amongst the PCNL, RIRS and control groups. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to compare the means of variables across the three patient groups.

The mean BDDS score in the PCNL group (n = 46) was significantly higher than that in the RIRS (n = 57) and control groups (n = 55) in the first postoperative month (p = 0.008 and 0.008). No significant difference was found between the mean BDDS scores of patients in the RIRS and control groups in the first postoperative month (p = 1.000). No significant difference was found amongst the mean BDDS scores of patients in the PCNL, RIRS and control groups in the third postoperative month (p = 0.725). A positive correlation was found between the educational levels and BDDS scores of patients (p = 0.000, r = 0.529), whereas a negative correlation was found between age and BDDS score (p = 0.030, r = -0.320).

No deterioration in BIP was found in patients who underwent RIRS. In patients who underwent PCNL, negative BIP was observed in the first postoperative month and improved by the third postoperative month, reaching levels similar to those in the control and RIRS groups. RIRS and PCNL are reliable surgical methods in terms of postoperative BIP.