Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 14, 2026
03:56
A Two-Step Method for Percutaneous Transhepatic Choledochoscopic Lithotomy
Published on: September 13, 2022
Practice patterns in the management of urinary lithiasis.
1Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/VA Clinical Scholars, Departments of Urology and Internal Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, 10940 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 710, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA. cscales@mednet.ucla.edu
Current Urology Reports
|February 2, 2013
Summary
Kidney stone prevalence and treatment costs are increasing in the US. Urologists are shifting from shock-wave lithotripsy to ureteroscopy for kidney stone interventions.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Kidney stone prevalence is rapidly increasing in the United States.
- Associated healthcare utilization and expenditures are also rising dramatically.
- Understanding current treatment patterns is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze current trends in kidney stone treatment.
- To identify opportunities for improving healthcare delivery and value for patients with kidney stones.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from the Urologic Diseases in America project.
- Review of current urological treatment patterns for kidney stones.
Main Results:
- Healthcare utilization and expenditures for kidney stones are rising.
- Urologists are increasingly favoring ureteroscopy over shock-wave lithotripsy for interventions.
- Limited data currently exists on specific treatment patterns.
Conclusions:
- Further research is needed to understand healthcare delivery for kidney stones.
- Opportunities exist to assess quality of care and expenditure drivers.
- Maximizing patient value in kidney stone treatment requires further investigation.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Urinary Tract Calculi VI: Surgical Management
Procedures for Kidney StonesMedical intervention is necessary when kidney stones or renal calculi are too large to pass spontaneously (typically greater than 5 millimeters) when stones are accompanied by symptomatic infection (such as fever or pyelonephritis), when they impair kidney function, or when they cause persistent symptoms like severe pain, nausea, or urinary retention. Additionally, patients with only one kidney or those who cannot be treated with medical management also require...
01:30Urinary Tract Calculi III: Medical Management
The diagnosis of renal calculi involves several imaging techniques, including non-contrast CT scans and ultrasound. These methods help visualize kidney stones, assess their size and location, and detect possible obstructions. Additionally, Measuring urine pH is useful for diagnosing specific stone types, such as struvite (alkaline pH) and uric acid stones (acidic pH). Cystine stones are primarily linked to cystinuria, a genetic condition. A urinalysis helps detect blood in the urine (hematuria)...
01:28Urinary Tract Calculi V: Nursing Management
AssessmentSubjective Data: Obtain a detailed health history, including any recent or chronic urinary tract infections, periods of immobilization, previous episodes of renal calculi, and medical conditions such as gout, benign prostatic hyperplasia, or hyperparathyroidism. Review the medication history for drugs that may influence stone formation, including allopurinol, analgesics, loop diuretics, or thiazide diuretics. Document the use of long-term indwelling catheters and any past surgical...
01:27Urinary Tract Calculi IV: Nutrition Therapy and Prevention
Management of renal calculi focuses on effective strategies like tailored nutrition and hydration therapy. Adjusting diet and fluid intake reduces stone formation and recurrence, making these interventions simple yet powerful in kidney stone prevention and management.Understanding Kidney StonesKidney stones form when calcium, oxalate, uric acid, and cystine concentrate and crystallize in urine. Factors contributing to their formation include genetic predisposition, certain medical conditions,...
01:26Urinary Tract Calculi II: Pathophysiology and Clinical Manifestations
Renal calculi, commonly termed kidney stones, are crystalline solid masses that form in the kidneys but can occur at any point within the urinary system, encompassing the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra.The pathophysiology of renal stones involves several key factors: supersaturation of the urine with stone-forming constituents, changes in urine pH, a decrease in urine volume, and the presence of substances that promote or inhibit stone formation.Supersaturation of Urine: This is the...
01:28Urinary Tract Calculi I: Introduction
Renal calculi, or kidney stones, are solid deposits of minerals and salts formed inside the kidneys. In medical terminology, "calculus" refers to the stone itself, while "lithiasis" describes the process of stone formation. Depending on their location within the urinary system, these stones may be classified as either urolithiasis, when situated within the urinary tract, or nephrolithiasis, when located within the kidneys. Each term signifies the specific impact of the stone.Predisposition...