The Results of Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy in Pre-School Age Children: Single Center Experience

Objective: Kidney stones are an important urological problem in both adults and children. They may be accompanied by metabolic disorders and genetic diseases and children make up approximately 20% of stone patients in our country. In our clinic, we evaluated the results from pre-school children 6 years of age and younger who underwent percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) surgery. Material and Methods: Between March 2012 and June 2016, 54 pediatric patients aged 0-6 years were treated with PNL for stones that were larger than 2 cm or ESWL-resistant, after undergoing the appropriate tests at the Urology Department of the Harran University Faculty of Medicine. PNL operations were performed under general anesthesia. After cystoscopy in the supine position, a ureteral catheter was inserted, accompanied by C-arm fluoroscopy. Afterwards, the patients were placed in the prone position before the kidney was entered using a metal needle with a fluoroscopy attachment. We dilated the entrance with amplatzer renal dilators and entered with a 17 fr nephroscope. After the procedure, the nephrostomy catheter was placed in the renal sheath. 4 mm residual fragments remaining after the operation were accepted as clinically insignificant stone residues.