Background: To compare the treatment outcomes between percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) and retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) for the management of stones larger than 2 cm in patients with solitary kidney.

Methods: One hundred sixteen patients with a solitary kidney who underwent RIRS (n = 56) or PCNL (n = 60) for large renal stones (>2 cm) between Jan 2010 and Nov 2015 have been considered. The patients' characteristics, stone characteristics, operative time, incidence of complications, hospital stay, and stone-free rates (SFR) have been evaluated.

Results: SFRs after one session were 19.6% and 35.7% for RIRS and PCNL respectively (p = 0.047), but the SFR at 3 months follow-up comparable in both groups (82.1% vs. 88.3%, p = 0.346). The calculated mean operative time for RIRS was longer (p < 0.001), but the mean postoperatively hospital stay was statistically significantly shorter (p < 0.001) and average drop in hemoglobin level was less (p = 0.040). PCNL showed a higher complication rate, although this difference was not statistically significant.

Conclusions: Satisfactory stone clearance can be achieved with multi-session RIRS in the treatment of renal stones larger than 2 cm in patients with solitary kidney. RIRS can be considered as an alternative to PCNL in selected cases.

Citation： Bai Yunjin, Wang Xiaoming, Yang Yubo, Han Ping, Wang Jia. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy versus retrograde intrarenal surgery for the treatment of kidney stones up to 2 cm in patients with solitary kidney: a single centre experience. West China medical Virtual Journal, 2000, 1(1): -. doi: 10.1186/s12894-017-0200-z Copy