title: Comparative Study between Standard and Totally Tubeless Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Several recent studies have reported the benefits of tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL). Postoperatively, tubeless PNL patients have an indwelling ureteral stent placed, which is often associated with stent-related morbidity. We have performed totally tubeless (tubeless and stentless) PNL in which no nephrostomy tube or ureteral stent is placed postoperatively. We evaluated the safety, effectiveness, and feasibility of totally tubeless PNL.
  
  
  METHODS
  From March 2008 to February 2012, 57 selected patients underwent standard or totally tubeless PNL. Neither a nephrostomy tube nor a ureteral stent was placed in the totally tubeless PNL group. We compared patient and stone characteristics, operation time, length of hospitalization, analgesia requirements, stone-free rate, blood loss, change in creatinine, and perioperative complications between the standard and totally tubeless PNL groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences in preoperative patient characteristics, postoperative complications, or the stone-free rate between the two groups, but the totally tubeless PNL group showed a shorter hospitalization and a lesser analgesic requirement compared with the standard PNL group. Blood loss and change in creatinine were not significantly different between the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Totally tubeless PNL appears to be a safe and effective alternative for the management of renal stone patients and is associated with a decrease in length of hospital stay.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Daegu Fatima Hospital, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Il
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.forename: Yoon Hyung
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jae Soo
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sung Ryong
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Bum Soo
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Joon Beom
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Kwon