Comparative Study in the Treatment of Renal Stone Less than 2 cm Between Mini-perc and Standard PCNL in Erbil/Iraq

Background and objectives: The management of nephrolithiasis has undergone substantial transformation with the introduction of minimally invasive endourological techniques. The objective of this research is to assess and compare the effectiveness of the two types of treatments of kidney stones mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy versus conventional percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Methods: A randomized comparison trial that included 150 patients diagnosed with renal stones from January 2022 to January 2024. Patients who were admitted to the urology department at Rizgary teaching hospital, Zheen international hospital and Zanko hospital were systematically assigned, through a random process, into 2 separate groups: A) mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy group, or B) standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Parameters such as operative time, post operative hemoglobin level, complications, duration of hospitalization and residual stone were compared. Results: The mean pre-operative hemoglobin was 13.5 ± 1.03 g/dl in patients who underwent standard Percutaneous, and 13.7 ± 0.65 g/dl in those who underwent mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (p>0.05). However, there was a statistically significant difference between mini- percutaneous nephrolithotomy post-operative hemoglobin (12.9 ± 0.79 g/dl) and standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy post operative hemoglobin (11.7 ± 2.5 g/dl) (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in operative time between Group A and Group B. However, the rate of residual stone was significantly higher in standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy vs. mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (p<0.05). Conclusions: Mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy demonstrates enhanced efficacy in handling renal calculi, delivering a higher rate of stone clearance compared to Standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy.