Surgical removal of staghorn calculi can be difficult. The authors describe a retrospective review of 21 patients who underwent 22 operations for the removal of staghorn calculi. Subsequent urinary infections occurred in 30% and recurrent stones developed in 20% of the patients. The authors emphasize the accuracy and importance of intraoperative roentgenography, the usefulness and morbidity of hemiacidrin irrigation and the postoperative stability of renal function measured by a radionuclide renal function test.
