Introduction:

Success in percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is defined as a stone-free status; however, major complications are highly common and have been reported as a secondary outcome.

Objective:

To propose a new definition of PCNL success that comprises a stone free rate without major complications and a risk scale to predict this outcome.

Methods:

Historical cohort of patients undergoing PCNL. The included variables were age, gender, urine culture, Charlson's comorbidity index (CCI) and complex stones. Success was defined as a stone free status with or without Clavien grade ≤ 2 complication; intermediate success: with stones, with or without Clavien grade ≤ 2 complication; and failure: with or without stones with Clavien grade ≤ 2 complication. Bivariate analysis was performed to identify which factors are associated with the outcome. The independent weight of each factor was calculated by multiple logistic regression analysis.

Results:

568 procedures were included, 59% of which were in females. Median age was 49 years; 65%, 22% and 13% of cases were classified as success, intermediate success and failure, respectively. Female sex, positive urine culture, complex stones and severe CCI were associated with failure.

Conclusions:

The likelihood of success was directly proportional to the number of risk factors.