Clinical effects of FURL and PCNL with holmium laser for the treatment of kidney stones

In the present study, the clinical effects of flexible ureteroscopy lithotripsy (FURL) and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for the treatment of kidney stones of ≤2 cm was studied. Seventy-two patients with kidney stones were randomly divided into the FURL group (n=39) under ureteroscope lithotripsy with holmium laser and PCNL group (n=33) under PCNL with holmium laser and compared their clinical effects. At 3 months after the operation, the stone removal rate of the FURL group was significantly higher than that of the PCNL group. The subgroup analysis revealed that the difference in the lower kidney calyx was more obvious (P<0.05) while the difference in the complex kidney stones was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The incidence of complications of the FURL group was significantly lower than that of the PCNL group (P<0.05). The operation time and recurrence rate of the FURL group were significantly less than that of the PCNL group (P<0.05). Differences regarding the creatinine and urea nitrogen levels before operation, and 3 and 7 days after the operation between the two groups were not statistically significant (P>0.05). Additionally, 3 and 7 days after operation, the cystatin C levels of the FURL group were significantly higher than those of the PCNL group, and the KIM-1 levels were significantly lower than the PCNL group (P<0.05). In conclusion, compared with PCNL with holmium laser, FURL with holmium laser was more safe and effective in treating kidney stones ≤2 cm. Therefore, the method is worthy of wide application in clinic.