Purpose: In this study, we report our initial experience using microperc for treatment of kidney stones and the implications of the microperc system in bladder stone management.
Patients and methods: Microperc was performed with a 4.85F "all-seeing needle" in 11 patients with stone disease; 9 of the patients had kidney stones and 2 had bladder stones. Access to the renal collecting system was achieved under fluoroscopic control in eight patients, while ultrasonography was used in one. Fluoroscopy was not used in any of the patients with bladder stones for bladder access.
Results: The mean stone burden was 12.8 mm (range 7-18 mm). The stone locations were pelvis in three, upper calix in one, middle calix in two, and lower calix in three. The mean age for kidney stones was 20.8 years (range 3-47 years). Single access was sufficient in all cases. In two patients, although the procedure was progressing without complication, conversion to miniperc was needed because of operator-related system errors. There were no intraoperative complications. The stone-free rate in the postoperative first month was 85%.
Conclusion: The least invasive microperc with an optical puncture system appears to be a safe and effective treatment modality in patients with different kinds of stone disease with respect to various features. Although the initial cases were patients with single stones of less than 20 mm, the combined use of this system with other minimally invasive treatment modalities for the management of larger stones is promising.