Supine Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy: Single centre initial experience in Nigeria

Background: Large and complex kidney stones represent one of the most challenging urological pathologies. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is the treatment of choice in these cases. Supine PCNL enables a single positioning throughout the procedure with numerous benefits. We set out to analyse our initial experience of this procedure. Aim: To review the outcomes of initial cases of Supine PCNL in a West African setting. Materials and methods: A retrospective, observational study was conducted on patients who underwent supine PCNL between March 2022 and March 2024 at Eleos Specialist hospital, Umuahia, Nigeria. All the patients, irrespective of their age and gender, whose renal stones needed treatment in the form of PCNL as the primary treatment were included in the study. The study excluded patients with previously operated kidneys, and uncontrolled coagulopathies. Informed consent for the procedure was obtained from the patients. Results: The total number of participants were eight with average age of 60.1 years. Three were females, five were males. The largest stone had a diameter of 5.6cm, while the smallest was 1.2cm, while the average size is 3.14cm, with average stone clearance of 90%. Average time of surgery was 161.7minutes and average post-operative admission duration was 4.9 days. In 2 cases, ancillary procedures were necessary for complete stone clearance. One patient had gaseous dilation, fever and vomiting, the other had fever. Conclusion: Supine PCNL can be done safely in our setting with comparable outcomes to those in other climes.