ROMANCING THE STONE THIRTY YEARS OF PROGRESS IN THE DIAGNOSIS, PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF URINARY CALCULI
WHY STONES?
Lifetime prevalence 13% Stone belt phenomenon Global warming American diet Sedentary lifestyles
DIAGNOSIS Symptoms – flank pain Physical exam Urinalysis Radiographic
RADIOLOGY KUB IVP
PROBLEMS WITH IVP Some stones are radiolucent Contrast allergy Contrast nephropathy Radiation exposure
RADIOLOGY Rarely contrast studies (CT, IVP) Non-contrast CT scanning
ADVANTAGES No contrast Fast Only indinavir stones and some matrix stones are “radiolucent” for the CT ? Other pathology found
DISADVANTAGES Radiation exposure Expense
MEDICAL MANAGEMENT Taught no need to investigate first stone Water Thiazides
WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? If you have first stone, you are going to have another Medical management works Oxalate restriction Importance of uric acid in calcium stone formation (protein restriction) Importance of citrate as inhibitor Importance of limiting salt intake
INTERVENTION If stone is < 5 mm, let it pass Still good advice but can be morbid and patient may be unproductive during that time (shouldn’t drive if taking pain meds) Can we predict better who will pass their stone?
PREDICTION OF SPONTANEOUS URETERAL CALCULUS PASSAGE WITH AN ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK James M. Cummings Seth D. Izenberg David Kitchens Rupa Kothandapani University of South Alabama Mobile, Alabama AUA 1999, JUrol 2000
Results 125 patients used to train neural network 55 patients in test set (25 with spontaneous passage, 30 required intervention) Network prediction was correct in 42 patients (76%) Network prediction was 100% correct in the subgroup passing their stones
Influences on network predictions Symptom duration* Hydronephrosis grade Position Nausea/vomiting Obstruction grade *Most influential in neural network by far
INTERVENTION Blind stone basketing Open surgery
INTERVENTION Ureteroscopy (URS) Percutaneous nephrostolithotomy (PCNL) Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL)
Ureteroscopy Performed transurethrally Good for ureteral stones Stone free rate 95% for distal ureteral stones Flexible and rigid scopes Variety of baskets, small lithotriptors and lasers
PCNL Scope passed into kidney through small incision in flank Stone visualized and broken up and extracted Used mainly for very large staghorn type stones
EXTRACORPOREAL SHOCKWAVE LITHOTRIPSY (ESWL)
ESWL Discovered as a result of research into stress on airplane wings passing through air Thousands of shock waves passed through body to strike stone Stone breaks into small pieces and pass Best used with renal and upper ureteral stones < 2.5 cm in size
Complications / Morbidity Hematuria (gross or microscopic): 100% Pain: 60-70% Renal colic in 5-10% Hematoma / perirenal hemorrhage (clinically significant): <1% Sepsis <1% Steinstrasse
Complications / Morbidity Renal trauma (hemorrhage, endothelial cell damage, glomerular atrophy & sclerosis, & interstitial fibrosis) – 22% decrease in GFR after ESWL in solitary kidneys; 29% decrease after PCNL Hypertension (inconclusive) Bowel perforation: 3 reports.
Efficacy Opell & Pahira. Contemp Urol; 12-27, October 2000
Efficacy Stone-free rate using HM-3 for stones < 2 cm is 91.3% at 3 months Only 50-70% stone-free rate with 2-3 cm stones In general, stone-free rate is inversely related to stone size
CONCLUSIONS – IN 30 YEARS Diagnosis has moved from contrast studies to noncontrast CT Prevention is used over a broader range of sufferers Intervention is minimally invasive with scopes and shockwaves – no longer open surgery or blind efforts