Percutaneous debulking of staghorn stones combined with extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy: results and complications.

The results and complications of 122 percutaneous debulking of staghorn stones are carefully reviewed, discriminating between dilated and not dilated kidneys. Percutaneous debulking can be defined as satisfactory in about 70% of the cases. In the remaining 30% of the cases (mostly not dilated kidneys) it has got little or no results. The overall complication rate is quite low and most of the common complications can be prevented. Percutaneous procedures in nondilated kidneys have an overall complication rate highly superior to that in dilated kidneys. It should be preferable to treat as many staghorn stones as possible in nondilated kidneys with staged extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) monotherapy, stenting the ureter and monitoring the urinary infection. Struvite stones are best suitable for stented ESWL because of their fragility. In case of cystine or oxalate monohydrate staghorn stone open surgery might be preferable in virgin patients, but it is often refused by the patients.