Bladder Stones in Renal Transplant Patients: Presentation, Management, and Follow-up
Maxwell Sandberg1, Adam Cohen1, Megan Escott1
1Department of Urology, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston Salem, North Carolina, USA.
Urologia Internationalis
|April 29, 2024
Summary
Post-renal transplant bladder stones are rare, occurring in 0.22% of patients. Nonabsorbable suture use during ureteroneocystostomy was a key risk factor, a practice now discontinued.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Nephrology
- Transplant Surgery
Background:
- Bladder calculi (bladder stones) can complicate renal transplantation.
- Understanding their incidence, risk factors, and management is crucial for patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the presentation, management, and follow-up of renal transplant recipients who develop bladder calculi.
- To identify risk factors associated with post-transplant bladder stone formation.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of renal transplant patients from 1984-2023.
- Computerized tomography (CT) imaging used for bladder stone identification and measurement.
- Review of patient demographics, transplant type, stone composition, symptoms, and treatment outcomes.
Main Results:
- Prevalence of post-transplant bladder stones was 0.22% (20/8,835 patients).
- Median time to diagnosis was 13 years post-transplant.
- Nonabsorbable suture for ureteroneocystostomy closure was identified in 64% of treated patients and is considered the main risk factor.
Conclusions:
- The incidence of bladder stones after renal transplantation is low.
- The use of nonabsorbable suture in ureteral implantation is a significant risk factor for bladder stone formation.
- Further research is needed to identify other contributing factors to bladder stone development in this population.
