Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mini PCNL)

What does this abbreviation PCNL stand for? It’s a transliteration from the Latin “Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy,” which means percutaneous stone fragmentation in the kidney. The term “mini” indicates that we use an instrument no thicker than 5 mm. When dealing with large or numerous stones, the physician requires the shortest and most direct access to the stone. This is achieved by making a puncture into the kidney, followed by dilating the hole to the necessary diameter and inserting a direct optical system with an energy carrier to break up the stone through it. Such access allows for easy entry into the kidney cavities when necessary, extracting stone fragments externally. Generally, compared to retrograde access, this surgery is more traumatic, as it involves breaching the integrity of the kidney and body. However, in this case, the key factor is the diameter to which the channel into the kidney needs to be expanded. For many years, the standard instrument diameter for kidney access was 9 mm, which on average damaged 3 cm^3 of kidney tissue. The rapid development of laser and optical systems has reduced the necessary hole diameter to 5 mm, thereby reducing the volume of kidney trauma to 1 cm^3 and, consequently, significantly reducing the number of complications. This approach has been named “mini” percutaneous stone fragmentation, and it is the one we have chosen for our clinic, as we believe this access provides an optimal safety-result ratio for kidney stones larger than 2 cm. Having the thickest laser fiber in its segment, with a diameter of 0.94 mm, allows us to quickly and effectively break down large stones. For the most rapid destruction of the largest and densest stones, we use a pneumatic lithotripter. The combination of laser and pneumatic energy in mini PCNL allows for the quickest fragmentation and flushing out of fragments, even of giant staghorn calculi, making your operation significantly safer and more effective.

We always remember that each patient is a unique individual and the best treatment result can be obtained when a clinic has a choice of all possible most effective and least traumatic options. And that’s exactly what you get when you address the Innomed Lithotripsy Center for medical treatment.