Which procedure wins for dense kidney stones?
NCT ID NCT04346134
First seen Aug 12, 2026 · Last updated Aug 14, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This trial compares two procedures for treating hard, medium-sized kidney stones (10-20 mm) that are not in the lower pole of the kidney. One is mini-PNL, a minimally invasive surgery, and the other is SWL, which uses shock waves to break up stones. The study will randomly assign 72 adults to one of the two procedures and track how completely the stones are cleared and any complications over three months.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Two procedures: miniaturized percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mini-PNL) and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (SWL)
- What this could lead to
- If one procedure proves safer and more effective, it could become the preferred standard for treating medium-sized, dense kidney stones, reducing the need for repeat treatments.
- What could go wrong
- This is a single study with 72 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. Both procedures carry risks like bleeding, infection, or incomplete stone removal.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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72 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jul 2020
- Finished
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Mar 2021
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Adult patients with high density (\>1000 HU), non-lower polar, single renal stone of 10 to 20 mm size Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant women, morbid obesity, severe orthopaedic deformities, any co-morbidities precluding general anaesthesia or prone positioning, uncorrectable coagulation disorders, active urinary tract infection (UTI), stone in calyceal diverticulum, abnormal renal anatomy and urinary tract obstruction distal to the stone
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Urology Department, Al-Azhar University Hospital
Cairo, 11633, Egypt
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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