title: Randomized Study of Ureteral Catheter vs Double-J Stent in Tubeless Minimally Invasive Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy Patients.
abstract: To prospectively analyze and compare the outcomes of using externalized ureteral catheter (EUC) vs Double-J ureteral stent (DJ) in tubeless minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy (MPCNL).
  
  
  
  A total of 109 patients underwent tubeless MPCNL in our institute and have been enrolled into this study. Fifty-six and 53 patients had EUC and DJ positioning at the conclusion of the procedure, respectively. The two approaches have been compared for operative time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative visual analogue pain scale (VAS) score, analgesic requirement, stent-related symptoms, hospital stay, degree of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) on the operative side, and complications according to the modified Clavien system.
  
  
  
  There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding the mean operative times, mean VAS scores, analgesic requirements, mean hemoglobin drop, mean hospital stay, and overall complication rate. However, compared with DJ group, EUC group presented fewer postoperative stent-related symptoms and less occurrence of severe VUR (p < 0.05).
  
  
  
  Positioning EUC in tubeless MPCNL is a safe alternative to DJ in patients with renal or upper ureteral calculi. EUC provides several benefits: obviated the need of a second endoscopic procedure, reduced stent-related discomfort, and lowered the occurrence of severe VUR.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Urology, Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University , Guangdong Key Laboratory of Urology, Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Yizhou
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Urology, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital , Guiyang, China .
authors.forename: Jianguo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Urology, Turin University of Studies , Turin, Italy .
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gurioli
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Urology, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital , Guiyang, China .
authors.forename: Dongbo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Urology, Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University , Guangdong Key Laboratory of Urology, Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Jiawei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Urology, Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University , Guangdong Key Laboratory of Urology, Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Zhilin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Urology, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital , Guiyang, China .
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Urology, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital , Guiyang, China .
authors.forename: Shiwei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Urology, Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University , Guangdong Key Laboratory of Urology, Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Yongda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002404:Catheterization / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007669:Kidney Calculi / Q000601:surgery*; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D009403:Nephrostomy, Percutaneous / Q000379:methods*; D061646:Operative Time; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015607:Stents; D014514:Ureteral Calculi / Q000601:surgery*; D014546:Urinary Catheterization; D062885:Urinary Catheters; D014718:Vesico-Ureteral Reflux; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics
keywords: Double-J stent; externalized ureteral catheter; minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy; patient discomfort; tubeless; upper urinary tract calculi