The efficacy and safety of the ballistic-ultrasonic-negative pressure three-in-one energy platform in mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy
10.3760/cma.j.cn112330-20241226-00569
- VernacularTitle:弹道-超声-负压三合一能量平台用于微通道经皮肾镜取石术的疗效和安全性
- Author:
Haijie XIE
1
;
Junkai HUANG
1
;
Linguo XIE
1
;
Shiyong QI
1
;
Yue CHEN
1
;
Chunyu LIU
1
Author Information
1. 天津医科大学第二医院泌尿外科 天津市泌尿外科研究所，天津 300211
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Urinary calculi;
Mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy;
Negative pressure;
Efficacy
- From:
Chinese Journal of Urology
2025;46(4):280-286
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To explore the efficacy and safety of the ballistic-ultrasound-negative pressure three-in-one energy platform (Trilogy) for micro-channel percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mini-PCNL).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 140 patients with upper urinary tract stones treated at Tianjin Medical University Second Hospital from February to October 2024. All patients underwent mini-PCNL and were divided into the holmium laser group and the Trilogy group based on the stone fragmentation equipment used during the procedure. There were 69 patients in the holmium laser group and 71 in the Trilogy group. The two groups had similar mean ages (55.1±10.2 years vs. 53.4±10.8 years), male patient proportions (50 cases, 72.5% vs. 50 cases, 70.4%), body mass indices (25.2±3.6 kg/m 2 vs. 25.3±4.0 kg/m 2), incidence rates of hypertension (29 cases, 42.0% vs. 31 cases, 43.7%), diabetes (15 cases, 21.7% vs. 12 cases, 16.9%), mean cumulative stone lengths (39.2±12.6 mm vs. 35.9±14.8 mm), total stone volumes preoperatively (6 184.3±3 653.5 mm 3 vs. 5 644.9±4 173.8 mm 3), mean CT values for stones (1 138.2±264.3 HU vs. 1 151.3±208.0 HU), stone locations (ureter 14 cases, 20.3% vs. 22 cases, 31.0%; kidney 48 cases, 69.6% vs. 39 cases, 54.9%; both ureter and kidney 7 cases, 10.1% vs. 10 cases, 14.1%), preoperative mean urinary white blood cell counts [9.6(3.6, 31.2) cells/HPF vs. 11.9(3.8, 34.5) cells/HPF], proportions of patients with preoperative urinary white blood cells (+ + + ; 23 cases, 33.3% vs. 25 cases, 35.2%), nitrite positivity rates (4 cases, 5.8% vs. 3 cases, 4.2%), and urine culture positivity rates (12 cases, 17.4% vs. 18 cases, 25.4%) showed no statistically significant differences. The proportion of patients with moderate or higher hydronephrosis in the holmium laser group was lower than that in the Trilogy group (32 cases, 46.4% vs. 47 cases, 66.2%, P=0.018). The holmium laser group utilized holmium laser lithotripsy, where stone fragments were either flushed out with a vortex or retrieved with a stone basket. The Trilogy group employed a three-in-one energy platform to break the stones. This device incorporated pneumatic ballistic, ultrasound, and negative pressure suction capabilities within the same metallic probe, allowing the stone to be fragmented into small pieces while simultaneously performing ultrasonic negative pressure stone clearance. The parameters for the three-in-one energy platform were adjusted based on intraoperative conditions, typically setting negative pressure at 30%-50%, ultrasound power at 80%-100%, ballistic power at 80%, and frequency at 8 Hz. During the stone fragmentation process, the ballistic device fragmented the stones while ultrasound further reduced larger fragments and removed them. Some fragments that were difficult to break could also be flushed out or retrieved with a stone basket. The efficiency of stone clearance (volume of stones cleared per unit time) was compared between the two groups, as well as the stone-free rates on postoperative day 1 and day 30. Stone clearance time was defined as the duration from the start of fragmentation to the placement of the nephrostomy tube. Changes in postoperative white blood cells, hemoglobin, and albumin levels compared to preoperative levels, as well as the incidence of Clavien-Dindo complications, were compared between the two groups. Equipment failure incidents were recorded (fiber fracture in the holmium laser group indicating it could not be used; probe fracture in the Trilogy group). Patients were sub-grouped based on stone CT values into CT ≥ 1 000 HU and CT < 1 000 HU categories to compare stone clearance efficiency between the two devices within each sub-group. In the CT≥1 000 HU sub-group, there were 51 cases in the holmium laser group and 54 in the Trilogy group, there were no significant differences in preoperative total stone volume (6 785.0±3 902.3 mm 3 vs. 5 678.1±4 297.7 mm 3). In the CT < 1 000 HU sub-group, there were 18 cases in the holmium laser group and 17 in the Trilogy group. There were no significant differences between the groups in preoperative total stone volume (4 482.2±2 110.6 mm 3 vs. 5 530.9±3 845.3 mm 3). Results:The overall stone clearance efficiency in the Trilogy group was higher than that in the holmium laser group (87.9±35.7 mm 3/min vs. 77.1±24.3 mm 3/min, P=0.038). There were no significant differences in residual stone volume before discharge [5.5(0, 84.0) mm 3 vs. 5.3(0, 175.0) mm 3], stone clearance time (79.4±43.2 min vs. 66.6±49.7 min), or the proportion of patients using stone baskets during the procedure (33 cases, 47.8% vs. 36 cases, 50.7%). Postoperative changes in white blood cells, hemoglobin, and albumin compared to preoperative levels were not significantly different [(4.1±2.9)×10 9/L vs. (3.3±2.2)×10 9/L; (-2.9±10.5) g/L vs. (-1.6±9.3) g/L; (-2.5±3.6) g/L vs. (-1.8±5.0) g/L] Furthermore, there were no statistically significant differences in equipment failure rates (1 case, 1.4% vs. 4 cases, 5.6%), stone-free rates (postoperative day 1: 43 cases, 62.3% vs. 47 cases, 66.2%; postoperative day 30: 50 cases, 72.5% vs. 53 cases, 74.6%), or Clavien-Dindo complication rates (grade Ⅰ: 11 cases, 15.9% vs. 8 cases, 11.3%; grade Ⅱ: 2 cases, 2.8% vs. 0 cases; grade Ⅲ: 1 case, 1.4% vs. 0 cases). In the CT ≥ 1 000 HU sub-group, the clearance time for the holmium laser was longer than that for Trilogy (93.3±41.0 min vs. 74.6±51.9 min, P=0.044), there were no significant differences in residual stone volume before discharge [6.3(1.6, 173.8) mm 3 vs. 4.5(0, 69.0) mm 3] between the two groups. In the CT < 1 000 HU sub-group, the overall stone clearance efficiency of the Trilogy group exceeded that of the holmium laser group (134.2±38.0 mm 3/min vs. 105.5 ± 7.1 mm 3/min, P=0.004), there were no significant differences between the groups in residual stone volume before discharge [0(0, 51.1) mm 3 vs. 16.3(0, 957.2) mm 3], or stone clearance time (40.2±18.1 min vs. 39.1±27.5 min). Conclusions:In mini-PCNL surgery, the stone fragmentation efficiency of the three-in-one lithotripsy energy platform is superior to that of the holmium laser, while the overall complication rate is comparable to that of the holmium laser.
