Background
Bladder stones in children represent up to 15% of all pediatric urolithiasis. Variant methods of managing vesical stones in children are available now with comparable success rates. Percutaneous cystolithotripsy (PCCL) was introduced to our department to be offered for male children on a routine basis.
Aim
To evaluate our experience in managing bladder stones in male children less than 14 years of age via PCCL regarding safety and efficacy.
Patients and methods
A total of 37 children underwent PCCL for their bladder stones in the period between November 2016 and November 2017 in Assiut Urology and Nephrology Hospital. Their median age was 36 (12–144) months and median stone size was 11 (7–26) mm. Initial diagnosis was urethral stones in 26 (70.3%) patients and bladder stones in 11 (29.7%) patients. Patients were followed up for periods ranging from 5 to 33 months (median 18 months).
Results
The median operative time was 14 (5–45) min. Twenty-one (56.8%) patients underwent direct stone extraction without disintegration of their bladder stones. Sixteen (43.2%) patients needed disintegration of their stones, of which 13 (81.25%) had pneumatic disintegration of their stones, whereas three (18.75%) had laser disintegration. Success was achieved in 36 (97.3%) patients. Complications were reported in three (8.1%) cases, and prolonged catheterization was reported in two (5.4%) patients.
Conclusion
PCCL is a safe and effective minimally invasive method for treating bladder stones in children.