ArticleCureus2025
Prospective Comparative Evaluation of Stone Clearance and Complications in Renal Stones Measuring 2 to 3.5 Centimeters: Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL) versus Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery (RIRS).
Article in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Study of Factors Affecting Ureteral Access Sheath Insertion in Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery.Cureus · 2026Article
- Predicting SIRS after PCNL using machine learning: the joint impact of sarcopenia and staghorn stones.World journal of urology · 2026Article
- Development of a machine learning model for predicting urosepsis after ureteroscopic lithotripsy.Urolithiasis · 2026Article
- Impact of hydronephrosis grade on surgical parameters and stone-free rates in prone percutaneous nephrolithotomy: a retrospective multivariable study.Open medicine (Warsaw, Poland) · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) and retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) are the two most commonly used minimally invasive surgical techniques for renal stone disease, which is a major worldwide health burden. Because it is less intrusive, RIRS has become more common even though PCNL is still the gold standard for big renal stones. Clinical decision-making regarding the best intervention requires the use of comparative evidence. Objective To evaluate the perioperative results and stone-free rates of PCNL and RIRS in patients with kidney stones. Methodology In this prospective randomized controlled trial, patients with kidney stones (2-3.5 cm; n=440) were split evenly between two groups: PCNL (n=220) and RIRS (n=220). The following outcomes were evaluated: perioperative problems, hospital stay, operation time, stone-free rate, and auxiliary procedures. Independent t-tests for continuous variables and chi-square tests for categorical variables were used in the statistical analysis; p<0.05 was deemed significant. Results The PCNL group had a significantly higher stone-free rate than the RIRS group (90.0% vs. 80.0%, χ²=8.57, p=0.003). The mean operative time was longer in the PCNL group compared to RIRS (92.4 ± 18.5 vs. 78.6 ± 15.3 min, t=8.42, p<0.001). The mean hospital stay was also longer for PCNL (3.6 ± 1.2 vs. 1.8 ± 0.7 days, t=18.7, p<0.001). Patients undergoing PCNL experienced greater intraoperative bleeding (17.3% vs. 2.7%, χ²=26.9, p<0.001) and a higher mean hemoglobin drop (1.6 ± 0.8 vs. 0.7 ± 0.5 g/dl, t=13.1, p<0.001). Auxiliary procedure rates were higher in the RIRS group (20.0% vs. 10.0%, χ²=8.57, p=0.003). Conclusion Although PCNL provides better stone removal than RIRS, it is linked to longer operating times, longer hospital stays, and higher incidence of complications. Individualized treatment should be chosen according to the patient's and the stone's characteristics.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.