Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate whether there is a difference in the reliability and efficacy of the method according to age in patients divided into 3 different age groups who underwent RIRS due to kidney stones.

Materials and Methods: Patients who underwent Retrograde Intra Renal Surgery (RIRS) for kidney or ureteral stone disease at the Urology Clinic of Health Sciences University Umraniye Health Application and Research Hospital between May 2017 and January 2021 were retrospectively screened, and those aged 20-80 years were included in the study. The demographic and clinical data of the patients and stone-related data were recorded. Patients aged 20-40 years were classified as Group 1, those aged 41- 60 years as Group 2, and those aged 61-80 years as Group 3.

Results: After the inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, the sample consisted of a total of 320 patients, of whom 121 (37.8%) were in Group 1, 133 (41.5%) were in Group 2, and 66 (20.6%) were in Group 3. The mean operative times and stone-free rates were similar between the groups. However, the mean hospital stay was significantly longer in Groups 3 compared to Groups 1 and 2. The minor complication rates were 2.4% in Group 1, 3% in Group 2, and 13.6% in Group 3, indicating a statistically significantly higher value in Group 3 compared to the remaining two groups (p=0.03). The major complication rates of Groups 1, 2, and 3 were 0.8%, 0.7%, and 7.5%, respectively. Accordingly, Group 3 had a significantly higher rate than Groups 1 and 2 (p=0.04).

Conclusion: RIRS can be performed on the elderly with success rates comparable to other age groups. However, the elderly, who represent a higher-risk patient population with more comorbidities, have increased rates of minor and major complications both in the perioperative and postoperative periods.

Keywords : retrograde intra-renal surgery, age, geriatric, complications