Results:
There were 139 patients in Group-1 and 43 patients in Group-2. The mean
ages of the patients were 43.9 ± 10.6 and 67.8 ± 2.1 years in Group-1
and Group-2, respectively (p = 0.001). The mean stone size was 899 ± 292
mm2 in Group-1, it was 1,008 ± 208
mm2 in Group-2 (p = 0.736). The two groups were
similar in terms of patient and stone characteristics (gender, body mass
index, presence of metabolic syndrome, operation side, operation
history, and stone density). Demographic data and stone characteristics
are shown in detail in Table 1.
When we examined the operative data, we determined that the durations of
operation, nephroscopy and fluoroscopy were similar between the groups
(p = 0.968, p = 0.149, and p = 0.342 respectively). The calyx used for
entry also did not significantly different between the two groups (p =
0.479). Detailed operative data are shown in Table 2.
When we evaluated the postoperative results, we observed that the amount
of hemoglobin drop was statistically higher in Group-1 (p = 0.001).
However, the need for blood transfusion was found to be higher in
Group-2 than in Group-1 (18.6% and 7.2%, respectively). There was no
significant difference between the two groups in terms of length of
hospital stay and duration of nephrostomy tube use (p = 0.855 and p =
0.352, respectively). The stone-free rate was calculated as 54.7% in
Group-1 and 67.4% in Group-2. No statistically significant difference
was found between the two groups in terms of the stone-free rate (p =
0.139). Concerning the overall complication rates, 34.5% of patients in
Group-1 and 46.5% of those in Group-2 were observed to develop
complications. There was no statistically significant difference between
the two groups in relation to the overall complication rates (p =
0.206). Postoperative complications and related results are shown in
detail in Table 3.
When we examined the subgroups of complications according to the Clavien
scoring system, the rate of minor complications was found to be 22.3%
in Group-1 and 41.9% in Group-2, indicating a statistically significant
difference (p = 0.012). The major complication rates were determined as
4.7% and 12.2% in Group-1 and Group-2, respectively (p = 0.155). In
addition, the rate of Clavien grade-2 complications was statistically
higher in the elderly group (p = 0.019). The details of the
complications according to the Clavien scoring system are shown in Table
4.