Abstract: Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy( MPCNL) and standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy( PCNL) in the treatment of complex renal calculi. Methods: The clinical data of 96 patients with complex renal calculi who had been treated by PCNL or MPCNL were analyzedretrospectively. Among the 51 cases in the MPCNL group， 23 had staghorn calculi and 28 multiple calculi; while in the PCNL group， 21 had staghorn calculi and 24 multiple calculi. The operation time，blood transfusion rate， calculus clearance rate， complications and postoperative hospital day were compared between the two groups. Results: The average operation time in the MPCNL group was significantly longer than that in the PCNL group( P ＜ 0. 01) . There was no statistical difference in the calculus clearance rate，blood transfusion rate，complications or postoperative hospital day between the two groups( P ＞ 0. 05) . Conclusions: Both MPCNL and PCNL have the advantages of high calculus clearance rate，quick recovery， short hospital day and few complications. The clinical efficacy and safety of MPCNL and PCNL are not significantly different.