A 59-year-old man had chronic calcific pancreatitis secondary to alcohol and smoking. He had acute flares of pain and elevation of serum pancreatic enzymes. A CT scan revealed features of chronic pancreatitis, including large pancreatic duct calculi in the dilated main duct. On previous ERCP examination 2 months prior, removal of a 15-mm impacted pancreatic stone near the genu was not attempted...

The concentration of hexosamine, a marker for mucin, was determined and related to the degree of cholesterol saturation and to the occurrence of cholesterol crystals in gall bladder bile of gall stone patients (n = 40) and gall stone free subjects (n = 25). Ten of the gall stone patients had been treated with chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) and eight with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) three to four ...

Endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) is a treatment of choice for stone extraction and is now most frequently used. The study was to compare the efficacy of endoscopic papillary large balloon dilatation (EPLBD) and endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) for common bile duct stone removal. Trials comparing the effects between EPLBD and EST treatment were searched according to the study protocol. Overall sto...

OBJECTIVE To assess the success rates of endoscopic management of upper ureteral stones using semirigid ureterorenoscopy and holmium: YAG laser lithotripters. METHODS A total of 74 patients with an established diagnosis of upper ureteric stone and scheduled for endoscopic ureteral stone treatment were retrospectively evaluated. Failure was defined as the inability to contact or fragment the s...

OBJECTIVE Tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) has become an option for treatment of renal stone disease, though no clearly defined algorithm exists for selection of patients suitable to tubeless PCNL. We investigated our experience with tubeless PCNL to evaluate its safety and efficacy for cases of complex renal calculi. PATIENTS AND METHODS Retrospective review of all tubeless PCNLs...

Kidney stone disease is a crystal concretion formed usually within the kidneys. It is an increasing urological disorder of human health, affecting about 12% of the world population. It has been associated with an increased risk of end-stage renal failure. The etiology of kidney stone is multifactorial. The most common type of kidney stone is calcium oxalate formed at Randall's plaque on the ren...

CONTEXT Obstructive jaundice in chronic pancreatitis is generally caused by stenosis of the bile duct in the pancreas. Obstructive jaundice caused by the impaction of a pancreatic stone in the papilla is markedly rare, with only seven cases reported to date. CASE REPORT We report a case of obstructive jaundice caused by the impaction of a pancreatic stone in the papilla. A 41-year-old male wi...

During the last few years, there has been relevant progress in both understanding and managing urolithiasis. Our knowledge of stone formation has changed; although the importance of urine biochemistry was questioned by several investigators years ago, the decisive role of cellular processes (induced by oxidative stress) and the renal papilla has only recently been generally accepted as the most...

An investigation of variables important to calcium stone formation in urine indicated significantly increased daily excretion of calcium and oxalate and decreased excretion of ascorbate and citrate by recurrent calcium stone formers. In addition, urine volume, sodium, mucopolysaccharide, and protein were also significantly increased. We compared the uptake of citrate and ascorbate from the gut ...

Gall-stone dissolution rate was measured in 52 patients with radiolucent gall stones in a functioning gall bladder receiving chenic acid 15 mg/kg/day. Percentage reduction in gall-stone area at six months was inversely related to initial gall-stone diameter (n = 52; r = -0.53; p less than 0.001), and to cholesterol saturation index of fasting gall-bladder bile during treatment (n = 28; r = -0.6...