Comparative Evaluation of Micropercutaneous Nephrolithotomy and Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery in the Management of Renal Stones 10-20 mm in Size

Objective: To assess the effects of micropercutaneous nephrolithotomy (microperc) and retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) on treating 10-20-mm kidney stones. Methods: Twenty-eight patients who underwent microperc (group 1) and 30 patients who underwent RIRS (group 2) between February 2015 and April 2017 were examined. This study included patients with 10-20-mm kidney stones located at a single location. Stone characteristics, fluoroscopy and operation times, stone-free rates (SFRs), and postoperative complications were compared between the two groups. Results: Age, gender, size, laterality, and stone location,and operation times were similar between the two groups. Moreover, the two groups had similar SFRs (92.9% vs. 90%, p=1.00, respectively). The mean fluoroscopy time was higher in group 1 than in group 2 (p=0.001). The two groups were similar in terms of SFRs (92.9% vs.90%, p=1.00, respectively). The decrease in hemoglobin levels was signifcantly more in group 1 than in group 2 (p=0.001),In terms of postoperative complications, no statistically significant difference was observed between the groups (p=0.277). The mean hospitalization time was 50.21 +/- 9.62 and 27.46 +/- 7.23 hours in groups 1 and 2, respectively (p=0.001). Conclusion: Both techniques are successful in treating renal stones and have low complication rates. Microperc is an effective method for managing medium-sized renal stones. However, longer fluoroscopy time and longer hospital stay are the main disadvantages of this technique.