title: Heart of Darkness.
abstract: Significant literature has an impact on the reader. Reading the novella Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad as a young boy rose emotions comparable to those I felt when losing a patient after percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) as a grown up. The case of a 37-year-old woman with bilateral staghorn and a fatal outcome after PCNL is presented and alternatives are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Mannheim University Hospital , Mannheim, Germany .
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Alken
keywords: Heart of Darkness; Joseph Conrad; mortality; percutaneous nephrolithotomy