The use of tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotripsy in children.

Introduction. Currently, percutaneous renal surgery is a common surgical procedure in urologic practice for the treatment of large and staghorn renal stones. Placement of a nephrostomy tube has been well recognized as a standard procedure to provide hemostasis, adequate drainage, and access for additional endoscopic procedures. At the same time, the use of a nephrostomy tube has negative consequences such as discomfort/pain symptom, longer hospital stay and possible urine extravasation. In view of the above, draining of the access tract raises questions in some cases. The aim of the study was effectiveness of tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotripsy in the treatment of urolithiasis in children. Materials and methods. Between 2013 and 2019, 66 patients (aged 1-17 y/o) underwent tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) at the Department of Pediatric Urology of N. Lopatkin Scientific Research Institute of Urology and Interventional Radiology. Patients were divided into three groups depending on the size of the instruments and the way the operation was completed. The first group (n=28) underwent surgery using the mini-PNL technique with the closure of the access tract. The second g