I29 Management of Upper Urinary Tract Calculi

Abstract

Renal calculi are rare in children and accounts for about 1–3 percent of all patients presenting with urinary calculi. Unlike in adults where the great majority of stones are idiopathic, it is not uncommon to find an infective, or metabolic cause. An underlying anatomical abnormality may also predispose to the formation of calculi, particularly if the patient has had a proteus urinary tract infection. Bladder stones are particularly prevalent in children following bladder augmentation. Infective calculi are usually soft, containing organic matrix, and may be poorly opacified.

Hypercalciuria is the most common metabolic abnormality, followed by cystinuria, hyperoxaluria, hyperuricosuria, and unclassified hypercalcemia. Aboriginal children in the outback of Australia are particularly susceptible to uric acid stones.