OBJECTIVES To determine if nephrolithiasis-associated atherosclerosis has pediatric origins and to consider possible association between kidney stones and atherosclerosis-related proteins. STUDY DESIGN We matched children aged 12-17 years with kidney stones and without kidney stones. Carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT) was measured by ultrasound. Participants' urine was investigated ...

BACKGROUND To investigate functional aspects of silent ureteral stones with special focus on obstruction and its relationship to renal anatomy. The present study is the first investigation of renal excretory function in patients with silent ureteral stones. METHODS Patients with primarily asymptomatic ureteral stones underwent a mercapto-acetyltriglycine (MAG-3) renal scintigraphy prior to tr...

Nanobacteria, 100-fold smaller than common bacteria, have been purported to exist in urine, and by precipitating calcium and other minerals into carbonate apatite around themselves, induce the formation of surrounding kidney stones. Nanobacteria-like structures have also been shown in blood, within arteries, aortic aneurysms, and cardiac valves. Gallium has antibiotic properties to iron-depende...

Two female patients (21 and 57 years old, respectively) had similar cases of naturally passing kidney stones (size: 4.0 × 4.0 × 2.0 mm3). X-ray diffraction analysis was used for identifying the crystalline components of these stones, which mainly consisted of calcium oxalate monohydrate (whewellite, CaC2O4·H2O), but a small amount of organic matrix could be found, too. The petrographic thin sec...

Introduction There is some debate as to whether commonly used herbs can help the passage of pre-existing large kidney stones. Given the advances with modern techniques of stone removal, this is probably now a bypothetical issue in most clinical situations. What is probably more relevant is whether herbs can help prevent stone formation or assist in the dissolution (or passage) of small stones. ...

Aim: To present a very rare case of bilaterally-complicated horseshoe kidney by nephrolithiasis in a patient with situsinversus with levocardia and skeletal anomalies. Case Report: A 41-year-old female presented by right loin pain. Abdominal ultrasound showed bilateral kidney stones with malrotation, right mild hydronephrosis and transposition of the abdominal organs. Chest X-ray showed the hea...

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) has been established as noninvasive treatment of choice for the great majority of upper urinary tract stones. However the management of staghorn stones in solitary kidney still deserves special consideration. We reviewed retrospectively 11 patients with staghorn stones in solitary kidney treated mainly with the Dornier HM-3 lithotripter during the pe...