[Therapeutic approach in urinary tract stones in children].

PURPOSE: Kidney stone disease in children is a rare pathology, with a low incidence in Spain (1/4,500 hospitalized children). The spontaneous expulsion rate is about 34-47% which means that more of 50% of children need active treatment. Paediatric patients forming urinary stones have a high risk of recurrence, therefore, a standard diagnosis and treatment are needed. We present our experience in urolithiasis treatment in children.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively all the patients ≤ 16 years hospitalized in our hospital with urolithiasis diagnosis from 2000 to 2013, citing treatment modality, stone-free rates and complications.

RESULTS: A total of 69 patients with a mean age of 8,2 years (range 1-16 years) were treated in our hospital during that period. The main clinical presentation was pain (52%). The diagnosis was made by abdominal ultrasounds in all cases. About localization, 21 lithiasis were found in distal urether (UD), 8 in medium urether (UM), 3 in proximal urether (UP) and 13 in renal pelvis (PR). The mean size was 13 mm. 21 (30%) patients had a spontaneous expulsion of the stone, 14 (20%) patients were treated with extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy and in 22 (32%) patients the elected therapy was ureterosopic stone fragmentation (n = 13) or removal (n = 9). No complications were observed. The overall stone-free rate was 79% (n = 55).

CONCLUSIONS: Kidney stone disease in children is a rare pathology, with its own features about diagnosis and treatment, which requires medical care in a specialized center. The optimal treatment should be considered regarding the age of the patient, localization and size of the stone, as well as the team experience.