Pneumatic cystolithotripsy versus holmium:yag laser cystolithotripsy in the treatment of pediatric bladder stones: a prospective randomized study

Holmium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Ho:YAG) laser and Pneumatic cystolithotripsy (CL) are the most widely practiced transurethral procedures for treatment of pediatric bladder stones. The aim of our study was to compare the safety and efficacy of Ho:YAG laser CL and pneumatic CL in the treatment of pediatric bladder stones. In this prospective randomized study from January 2012 to April 2015, 25 male children with bladder stones < 3 cm were consecutively randomized into two treatment groups: group A (pneumatic CL) consisted of 13 patients and group B (Ho:YAG CL) consisted of 12 patients. Operative time, duration of stay and complications were recorded. Patients were followed up prospectively. The mean operative time was significantly lower in group B (25.6 vs. 31.6 min) for stones < 1.5 cm (p = 0.040). However, for stones between 1.5 and 3 cm in size, the mean operating times were similar in both the groups (49.4 min in Ho:YAG vs. 44.6 min in pneumatic, p = 0.40). There was no difference in complication rates and hospital stay in both the groups. No major complications were seen in both the groups. We found that Ho:YAG CL was more effective than pneumatic CL for treating bladder stones smaller than 1.5 cm.