Which way is best for stone fragments and dust extraction during percutaneous nephrolithotomy

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is a commonly used type of minimally invasive treatment in kidney stone surgeries. Surgical success is assessed according to residual stone amount after surgery. The purpose of this study is to compare the two methods' success and practicality that are applied after the fracture of the stone in the patients who applied PCNL and which enable the removal of the residual stones. Among 102 patients who underwent a single-session of PCNL at our department between June 2015 and November 2016 were evaluated. Previously identified irrigation method and our aspiration method which described used in post-operative patients divided into two groups of residual fragments was assessed by computed tomography. The results were evaluated in statistical analyses. Significant p was accepted as p < 0.05. The age and gender distribution of patients in the irrigation and aspiration groups did not differ significantly (p > 0.05). In irrigation and aspiration groups, stone size did not differ significantly (p > 0.05). The amount of residue stones and dust remaining in the irrigation group was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the aspiration group. Although many methods have been tried before, we think that the aspiration method we have described is a cheaper, more effective and feasible option.