Tubeless PCNL versus standard PCNL for the treatment of upper urinary tract stones: a propensity score matching analysis.

Purpose: In this study, the feasibility of tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for the treatment of upper urinary tract stones was investigated.

Methods: From January 2021 to December 2022, the clinical data of 273 patients who received tubeless PCNL (Group A) were studied. The control group includes clinical data from 302 patients (from January 2019 to October 2022) who received standard PCNL (Group B). The baseline characteristics were consistent between the two groups after using the propensity score matching (PSM) method. Compare the preoperative clinical characteristics, postoperative complications, residual stones, catheterization time, and hospital stay between the two groups.

Results: 146 pairs of patients were successfully paired through PSM. There was no statistically significant difference in operative time, blood leukocyte counts, haemoglobin decrease, fever, urinary extravasation, sepsis, bleeding, blood transfusion rates, embolism, and residual stones after surgery between the two groups; Postoperative day 1 and discharge day, the VAS pain score in Group A was significantly lower than that in Group B. The catheterization time and hospitalization time of patients in Group A were significantly lower than those in Group B.

Conclusion: According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, selecting suitable patients for tubeless PCNL is safe and effective, while significantly alleviating pain and reducing catheterization time and hospital stay.