Demographics, stone characteristic, and treatment of urinary calculi at the 47th Combat Support Hospital during the first 6 months of Operation Iraqi Freedom

Abstract

There are few publications describing urolithiasis in deployed military personnel. Renal colic was the most common urologic indication for air evacuation from the 47th Combat Support Hospital during the first 6 months of Operation Iraqi Freedom and we describe our observations and experience herein. Institutional review board approval was obtained to create a database of patients presenting to the 47th Combat Support Hospital with urolithiasis. Patient demographics, stone characteristic, imaging modality, urinalysis results, treatment course, and outcomes were evaluated for 182 patients. Sixty percent of patients qualified for conservative treatment and spontaneous stone passage was documented in 28%. We conclude that conservative therapy is safe and appropriate initial treatment for the majority of deployed personnel with urinary calculi, however, many patients were lost to follow-up. No patient treated conservatively required admission for sepsis, azotemia, or other serious stone-related complication.