Patient evaluation and comparison of stone-removing strategies in pediatric patients with urinary tract stones

Abstract

Urinary stone disease in children is an important health problem worldwide. Presenting signs and symptoms are different from those in adults. Abdominal pain, hematuria, and urinary tract infection are more common in children. Imaging of the pediatric patients is another challenging issue because of potentially harmful effects of ionizing radiation. Children with urinary stone have a high chance of recurrent stone formation; therefore, a complete risk assessment and metabolic evaluation should be performed. The treatment depends on size and location of the stone. Patient-age and anatomy of the urinary tract are also other important factors that define treatment strategy. In the modern world, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, percutaneous nephrolithotomy, and ureteroscopy are available for pediatric patients, and these procedures have the same level of efficiency and safety as in adults. Today, laparoscopic and robot-assisted laparoscopic stone surgeries are available in advanced health centers. Open surgery has become a historical treatment option in developed countries.