Nephrolithiasis

Nephrolithiasis is a highly prevalent condition, but its incidence varies depending on race, gender, and geographic location. Approximately half of patients form at least one recurrent stone within 10 years of the first episode. Renal stones are usually composed of calcium salts (calcium oxalate monohydrate or dihydrate, calcium phosphate), uric acid, or, less frequently, cystine and struvite (magnesium, ammonium, and phosphate). Calcium oxalate stones, the most commonly encountered ones, may result from urinary calcium oxalate precipitation on the Randall plaque, which is a hydroxyapatite deposit in the interstitium of the kidney medulla. Uric acid nephrolithiasis, which is common among patients with metabolic syndrome or diabetes mellitus, is caused by an excessively acidic urinary pH as a renal manifestation of insulin resistance. The medical evaluation of the kidney stone patient must be focused on identifying anatomic abnormalities of the urinary tract, associated systemic diseases, use of lithogenic drugs or supplements, and, mostly, urinary risk factors such as low urine volume, hypercalciuria, hyperuricosuria, hypocitraturia, hyperoxaluria, and abnormalities in urine pH that can be affected by dietary habits, environmental factors, and genetic traits. Metabolic evaluation requires a urinalysis, stone analysis (if available), serum chemistry, and urinary parameters, preferably obtained by two nonconsecutive 24-hour urine collections under a random diet. Targeted medication and dietary advice are effective to reduce the risk of recurrence. Clinical, radiologic, and laboratory follow-ups are needed to prevent stone growth and new stone formation, to assess treatment adherence or effectiveness to dietary recommendations, and to allow adjustment of pharmacologic treatment. This review contains 5 highly rendered figure, 3 tables, and 105 references.