Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2016 Mar 4;14(2):101-7.
doi: 10.1016/j.aju.2016.01.005. eCollection 2016 Jun.

What is better in percutaneous nephrolithotomy - Prone or supine? A systematic review

David K-C Mak  1 , Yuko Smith  2 , Noor Buchholz  3 , Tamer El-Husseiny  4
Affiliations
Review

What is better in percutaneous nephrolithotomy - Prone or supine? A systematic review

David K-C Mak et al. Arab J Urol. .

Abstract

Objective: To review the literature reporting the technique of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) and outcomes for prone and supine PCNL, as PCNL is an established treatment for renal calculi and both prone and supine PCNL have been described, but there has been much debate as to the optimal position for renal access in PCNL.

Methods: A review of the medical literature was conducted using the PubMed database to identify relevant studies reporting on prone and supine PCNL published up until July 2015. Only publications in English were considered. Search terms included 'supine', 'prone', 'percutaneous nephrolithotomy', 'PCNL' and 'randomised controlled trial'. Articles relevant to the particular aspect of PCNL discussed were selected.

Results: In all, 30 articles were included in the literature review. Nine of these articles were of Level 1 Evidence as graded by the Oxford System of Evidence-based Medicine.

Conclusion: The present systematic review highlights the benefits and disadvantages of supine and prone PCNL. The published data on supine and prone PCNL have shown no significant superiority of either approach. Whether prone or supine PCNL is optimal, remains a debatable topic.

Keywords: PCNL; PCNL, percutaneous nephrolithotomy; Prone; RCT, randomised control trial; SFR, stone-free rate; Stones; Supine.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Fernstrom I., Johansson B. Percutaneous pyelolithotomy: a new extraction technique. Scand J Urol Nephrol. 1976;10:257–259. - PubMed
    1. Valdivia Urìa J.G., Lachares Santamaría E., Villarroya Rodríguez S., Taberner Llop J., Abril Baquero G., Aranda Lassa J.M. Percutaneous nephrolithectomy: simplified technic (preliminary report) Arch Esp Urol. 1987;40:177–180. - PubMed
    1. Kamphuis G.M., Baard J., Westendarp M., de la Rosette J.J. Lessons learned from the CROES percutaneous nephrolithotomy global study. World J Urol. 2015;33:223–233. - PubMed
    1. Walick K.S., Kragh J.E., Jr, Ward J.A., Crawford J.J. Changes in intraocular pressure due to surgical positioning: studying potential risk for postoperative vision loss. Spine. 2007;32:2591–2595. - PubMed
    1. Papatsoris A., Masood J., El-Husseiny T., Maan Z., Saunders P., Buchholz N.P. Improving patient positioning to reduce complications in prone percutaneous nephrolithotomy. J Endourol. 2009;23:831–832. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources