The Significance of Palliative Nephrostomy

Kim, Young Sun; Kim, Kwang Myung; Park, Won Hee; Kim, Si Whang

Abstract

Palliative open nephrostomy was done on 50 cases with advanced pelvic malignancy and benign conditions in the Department of Urology, Seoul National University Hospital during the period of March, 1979 to July, 1982. The results were as follows: 1. 20.5% (9/44) of our patients died without being discharged from the hospital after nephrostomy. 2. In advanced pelvic malignancy, only 52.6% of patients alive at 3 months and only 26.3% alive 6 months. 3. In advanced pelvic malignancy, the post-nephrostomy complication was 46.7% and the most common complication was various urinary problems. 4. The cause of death was multifactorical and impossible to define precisely. The nephrostomy complications were at least in part contributory to the deaths. 5. The terminal malignancy patients who might not expected to live six months and to lead a useful, relatively comfortable life outside the hospital after treatment could not have benefited from nephrostomy. Unavoidable cases, we recommended percutaneous nephrostomy and passage of ureteral catheters instead of open nephrostomy.