Nonoperative management of complications of percutaneous renal nephrostomy.

: Between 1984 and 1986 at the Wellesley Hospital in Toronto, 210 percutaneous renal nephrostomies were performed for drainage and 140 were done to provide access for nephrolithotomy. Less than 2% of the patients experienced complications requiring intervention and less than 0.5% required an open surgical approach for the management of procedure-related problems. Complications that were managed conservatively included splenic puncture, false aneurysm, laceration of the renal artery, arteriovenous fistula, hemorrhage requiring transfusion, pneumothorax-empyema, urinoma, septic shock and the hemolysis-hyponatremia-renal shutdown syndrome.