Evaluation of the kidney stone patient

Kidney stones are one of the most common chronic disorders in industrialized countries. In patients with kidney stones, the goal of medical therapy is to prevent the formation of new kidney stones and to reduce growth of existing stones. The evaluation of the patient with kidney stones should identify dietary, environmental, and genetic factors that contribute to stone risk. Radiologic studies are required to identify the stone burden at the time of the initial evaluation and to follow up the patient over time to monitor success of the treatment program. For patients with a single stone an abbreviated laboratory evaluation to identify systemic disorders usually is sufficient. For patients with multiple kidney stones 24-hour urine chemistries need to be measured to identify abnormalities that predispose to kidney stones, which guides dietary and pharmacologic therapy to prevent future stone events.