FANS-Assisted Mini-PCNL for Complex Renal Stones (FANS-MiniPerc)

April 12, 2026 updated by: Guohua Zeng, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University

Mini-percutaneous Nephrolithotomy With a Flexible Mini-nephroscope and a Flexible and Navigable Suction Access Sheath for Complex Renal Stones: A Prospective Pilot Study

This prospective pilot study aims to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and preliminary clinical outcomes of a novel mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mini-PCNL) technique integrating a flexible mini-nephroscope with a flexible and navigable suction access sheath (FANS) for the treatment of complex renal stones.

Thirty consecutive patients with renal stones ≥2 cm will be prospectively enrolled. All patients will undergo FANS-assisted mini-PCNL. The primary outcome is the immediate stone-free rate assessed by non-contrast CT within 72 hours after surgery. Secondary outcomes include operative parameters, postoperative pain, complications, length of hospital stay, and quality of life.

This pilot study is designed to provide preliminary evidence supporting the feasibility and safety of FANS-assisted mini-PCNL and to inform the design of future larger-scale studies.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Conventional mini-PCNL may be limited by restricted access to anatomically challenging calyces and inefficient evacuation of stone fragments when flexible nephroscopy is required.

A novel technique integrating a flexible mini-nephroscope with a flexible and navigable suction access sheath (FANS) has been developed to enable flexible intrarenal navigation combined with active suction during antegrade lithotripsy.

This prospective pilot study will enroll 30 consecutive patients undergoing FANS-assisted mini-PCNL for complex renal stones. The study focuses on feasibility, safety, and preliminary clinical outcomes, including stone clearance and perioperative morbidity. The results will serve as preliminary data for future confirmatory or comparative clinical trials.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
30

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • China
    • Guangdong
      • Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, 510230
        • The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged 18 to 75 years
  • Patients with renal stones measuring 2 cm or larger in maximum diameter
  • American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification I-III
  • Planned to undergo mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy
  • Able and willing to provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Uncontrolled urinary tract infection at the time of surgery
  • Known bleeding tendency or coagulation disorders
  • Contraindication to general anesthesia
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: FANS-assisted mini-PCNL
Mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy performed using a flexible mini-nephroscope combined with a flexible and navigable suction access sheath to facilitate flexible access and active stone fragment evacuation.
Procedure: FANS-assisted mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy

The procedure consists of mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mini-PCNL) performed with the assistance of a flexible mini-nephroscope and a flexible and navigable suction access sheath (FANS).

Following standard percutaneous renal access and initial stone fragmentation using a rigid nephroscope, a flexible mini-nephroscope is introduced through the percutaneous tract to access calyces that are difficult to reach with rigid instruments. Holmium:YAG laser lithotripsy is then performed under flexible endoscopic visualization.

The flexible and navigable suction access sheath allows simultaneous irrigation and adjustable negative-pressure suction, enabling continuous evacuation of stone fragments during lithotripsy. Suction strength can be regulated intraoperatively to maintain a clear endoscopic field and facilitate controlled fragment removal.

This procedure is applied to all participants in this prospective pilot study and aims to evaluate the feasibility and safety of flexible suction

Other Names:
  • Mini-PCNL using a flexible mini-nephroscope with suction access sheath

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Immediate stone-free rate
Time Frame: Postoperative day 0 to 3
Absence of residual stones or fragments >2 mm detected by non-contrast CT
Postoperative day 0 to 3

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Stone-free rate at 1 month
Time Frame: Postoperative day 30 (±7 days)
Absence of residual stones or fragments >2 mm detected by non-contrast CT
Postoperative day 30 (±7 days)
Operative time
Time Frame: From skin puncture to completion of the procedure (intraoperative period)
Total duration of the surgical procedure measured from puncture to completion of the operation
From skin puncture to completion of the procedure (intraoperative period)
Postoperative pain score
Time Frame: Postoperative day 1
Postoperative pain assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), ranging from 0 to 10, where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst pain imaginable.
Postoperative day 1
Postoperative complications
Time Frame: Postoperative day 0 to 30
Incidence and severity of postoperative complications classified according to the Clavien-Dindo grading system
Postoperative day 0 to 30
Length of postoperative hospital stay
Time Frame: Postoperative day 0 to postoperative day 14
Duration of hospital stay measured from completion of the procedure to hospital discharge
Postoperative day 0 to postoperative day 14
Quality of life score
Time Frame: Baseline and postoperative day 30
Health-related quality of life assessed using the Wisconsin Stone Quality of Life (WISQOL) questionnaire, which consists of 28 items scored on a 5-point Likert scale. Total scores range from 0 to 140, with higher scores indicating better quality of life.
Baseline and postoperative day 30

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 19, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 12, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 19, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 9, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 15, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 12, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • ES-2025-252-02 (Other Identifier: The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be shared, as this is a single-center prospective pilot study with a small sample size, and the data will be used primarily for exploratory and hypothesis-generating purposes.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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