What Is the Ideal Treatment for 20–30 mm Kidney Stones? Comparative Outcomes of 1197 Patients

Background: The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy and safety of extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (SWL), retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS), mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mPNL), and standard-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (stPNL) for the treatment of 20-30 mm kidney stones. Methods: The records of 1197 patients (SWL = 149, RIRS = 205, mPNL = 525, and stPNL = 318) from 8 centers were reviewed retrospectively. Four procedures were compared for stone-free rates (SFRs), auxiliary treatment, and associated complications. Results: Initial SFRs were 43.6%, 54.6%, 86.7%, and 87.7% in SWL, RIRS, mPNL, and stPNL, respectively (P < .001), whereas the final SFRs were 71.8%, 80%, 90.5%, and 89.6% (P < .001). The rate of auxiliary treatment in the groups was 38.3%, 26.8%, 5%, and 4.4%, respectively (P < .001). The initial and final SFRs in the mPNL and stPNL groups were higher than those in SWL and RIRS groups (P < .001). The rate for auxiliary treatment was lower in the mPNL and stPNL groups (P < .001). The operation time was longer in the RIRS group (P = .005). According to the Clavien-Dindo classification, the complication rate in the SWL group was lower than that in the surgical approaches (P < .001); however, no statistical difference was detected between RIRS, mPNL, and stPNL groups. mPNL and stPNL had a higher success rate than RIRS or SWL for treating 20-30 mm kidney stones. Conclusion: In the treatment of 2-3 cm renal stones, RIRS and PNL were more effective than SWL to obtain a better SFR and less auxiliary treatment rate. Compared with RIRS, mPNL and stPNL provided a higher SFR with similar complication rates.