[Clinical studies on thirty-two cases of childhood urolithiasis]

We evaluated 32 patients with urinary calculi under 16 years of age over the past 14 years since the founding of the Department of Urology, Kinki University School of Medicine. They comprised 0.8% of the total urolithiasis patients. They consisted of 18 boys and 14 girls with a male-to-female ratio of 1.29. The average age was 8.7 years for boys and 10.4 years for girls without any marked peak. The most frequently chief complaint was hematuria which was present in 15 cases (47%). Although pyuria was seen in seven cases (22%), urinary bacterial culture was positive only in 5. The underlying diseases could be diagnosed in 13 cases (41%), of which eight cases (62%) developed metabolic disorder. The sites of calculi were determined in 29 cases (91%), of which 28 had stones in the upper urinary tract. Surgical treatment was performed on 16 cases in 17 sessions. Ureterolithotomy was done in as many as five cases, followed by pyeloplasty in four cases. Nephrectomy was performed in only one case. There was only one case which had been treated with extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL). The composition of calculi was found in 21 cases (66%), the majority or 13 cases (57%) of which had calcium-containing stones. Nevertheless, there was no case of hypercalciuria. When compared to the previous reports in Japan, it was worthy of note that calculi in the upper urinary tract and calcium-containing stones had higher incidences. It is expected that more patients will be treated with ESWL in the future.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)