A Prospective Observational Comparison of Super-mini Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (SMP) and Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) for the Treatment of Renal Stones ≥20 mm in Children: An IAU Study

ESWL and PNL are the two treatment modalities for kidney stones greater than 20 mm in the pediatric population. ESWL is non-invasive, does not require anesthesia and inexpensive, but its success rate may be lower, and require multiple treatment sessions. On the contrary, PNL has a higher success rate, does not require multiple sessions but is an invasive method. Compared to standard PNL, miniaturized PNL systems have been shown to decrease complications with comparable success rates. SMP is a unique miniaturized PNL system with integrated active irrigation and suction systems. The current literature lacks studies comparing SMP and ESWL prospectively in the pediatric population. In this study, the effectiveness, reliability, and reusability of ESWL and SMP will be compared.