Does Morbid Obesity Adversely Affect Success and Complication Rates in Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy?

Objective To investigate percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) results of morbid obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) of ≥40 kg/m2 by comparing with a control group of normal BMI (20-25 kg/m2). Materials and Methods Thirty patients with a BMI of ≥40 kg/m2 were randomly assigned to group 1 and 30 patients with a normal BMI (20-25 kg/m2) constituted group 2 as controls. We compared the groups with regard to baseline characteristics, intraoperative parameters, and stone-free and complication rates. Results A total of 60 patients were included in the study. Demographic data and stone burden were similar in both groups. We found no significant differences in access number and success, operative time, and stone-free and complication rates. Conclusion PNL is a safe and effective treatment even for patients with a BMI of ≥40 kg/m2. What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Efficacy of percutaneous nephrolithotomy in morbid obese patients is still debatable. We believe that this study may give valuable information about this topic.