Percutaneous nephrolithotomy: an overview

The literature review explains what we know about kidney stones and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) surgery. It also gives a good reason for studying how factors impact PCNL results in Central India. The guidelines from European urology advocate that PCNL is the primary choice for addressing kidney stones exceeding 2 cm. Over the period PCNL procedures have developed tremendously with the introduction of miniaturization of instruments to minimize tract size, puncture technique from fluoroscopy guided to ultrasound-guided, dilatation technique from multiple to single step dilatation, and development of newer lithotripsy techniques. The success of this treatment, often measured as stone-free rates (SFRs), depends on factors like the size and type of the stone, how the access puncture is made, the number of tracts (pathways created for the procedure), and dilation techniques