Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Nephrostomy

Percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) is a procedure in which percutaneous access of the kidney is obtained to provide external drainage in an obstructed renal collecting system or serve as a conduit through which minimally invasive urologic procedures can be performed. Ultrasound-guided PCN has been validated as an effective and safe, minimally invasive image-guided procedure. This article reviews the indications, preprocedural patient evaluation, techniques, postprocedural management, and complications of ultrasound-guided PCN.