Abstract
Background and Purpose:
Caliceal diverticula are rare renal anomalies present in approximately 0.6% of the population. They are associated with calculi in 50% of cases. Therapeutic options include several minimally invasive techniques. We report a retrospective review of outcomes and complications from our series of patients who were treated with a percutaneous approach.
Patients and Methods:
A database of outcomes related to percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) has been maintained at our institution since 1992. Data on all patients with caliceal diverticular stones who underwent PCNL during a 17-year period from 1992 to 2009 were reviewed retrospectively. Our preferred approach to PCNL in these patients is to puncture directly into the diverticulum and to try to advance a guidewire through the infundibular neck. In cases where the caliceal neck could not be intubated, we performed a transdiverticular approach with creation of a neoinfundibulum as a salvage procedure. We evaluated the two techniques with regard to stone-free rates and early postoperative complications.
Results:
Seventy-six procedures were performed. The mean age was 43 years (range 17–72 y). The mean stone area was 583 mm2. The surgical approach was direct puncture in 47, transdiverticular in 20, retrograde in 8, and unknown in 1 patient. Eight patients underwent lining fulguration. The average duration of surgery was 75 minutes (23–169 min) with an average hospital stay of 4.7 days. There were a total of 23 complications, of which 11 necessitated additional intervention. The overall stone-free rates were 77% and 89% for direct puncture and transdiverticular approaches, respectively.
Conclusions:
The percutaneous management of caliceal diverticular calculi is highly effective and can be accomplished with low morbidity.
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