Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy Can Be Safely Performed in the High-risk Patient

Objectives To determine whether percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) can be safely performed in the high-risk patient. Methods The records of 84 patients undergoing 98 consecutive PCNL procedures from January 2005 to January 2007 at a single institution were examined. Patients were divided into a high-risk preoperative group, which comprised patients having American Society of Anesthesiologist scores of III or IV (n = 25) and a low-risk preoperative group of patients with an American Society of Anesthesiologist score of II or less (n = 59). Results A total of 33 and 65 procedures were performed in the high- and low-risk groups, respectively. The high-risk group had significantly more comorbidities than the low-risk group (5.4 vs 1.5) ( P