The majority of common bile duct stones can be effectively treated by endoscopic sphincterotomy and stone extraction using basket or balloon extractor. Stones more than 2 cm in diameter on the other hand require mechanical, electrohyraulic lithotripsy and sphincterotomy and balloon dilation. Mechanical lithotripsy may not be successful because of the size, consistency and site of the stones. In...

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of ureter stones with expectant management and the clinical factors associated with stone passage in Koreans. MATERIALS AND METHODS We reviewed the charts of patients who visited the emergency room or urological office of our institution with acute renal colic between 2001 and 2008. A total of 656 ureter stone formers were enrolled in ...

Renal stone incidence has progressively increased in industrialized countries, but the implication of Randall plaque in this epidemic remains unknown. Our objectives were to determine whether the prevalence of Randall plaque-related stones increased during the past decades after having analyzed 30,149 intact stones containing mainly calcium oxalate since 1989 (cross-sectional study), and to ide...

OBJECTIVE The objective was to determine the incidence of bladder stones in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and to assess if catheter encrustation or positive urinary culture of Proteus mirabilis is predictive of bladder stones. BACKGROUND Bladder stones are common urological complication in those with SCI managed with indwelling urinary catheter. Detection and removal of bladder stone...

PURPOSE We performed a prospective comparison of the use of twinkling color Doppler ultrasound and noncontrast computerized tomography in the diagnosis of renal colic in emergency room patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 815 consecutive adult patients with suspected renal colic presented to the emergency room and were evaluated immediately with color Doppler ultrasound and noncontrast ...

Treatment of ureteral calculi has dramatically changed over time. Open surgery was the method of choice before the 80s, however, two events strongly influenced the management of ureteral lithiasis: the development of rigid ureteroscopy and the application of shock waves. Since then, many papers have been published to assess the efficacy of each technique. They take into account several endpoint...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the detectability, size, location and density of urinary stones with unenhanced computed tomography (CT), using the half-radiation (low) dose (LDCT) technique, compared with the standard-dose CT (SDCT), in obese patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study included 50 patients with a body mass index of >30 kg/m(2) and bilateral renal stones diagnosed with SDCT, and managed o...