ABSTRACT
Urinary stones are the commonest cause of acute ureteric obstruction, which if left untreated, may result in the dilatation of proximal renal tract ultimately leading to irreversible kidney damage. Of the 80 cases of urinary stones reported at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, 43 [53.75 percent] were in the kidney, 18 [22.5 percent] in the urinary bladder, 10 [12.5 percent] and 9 [11.25 percent] passed through the urine. Of these cases, the incidence among males was higher than in females [3:1] with the greatest occurrence in the 25 - 34 years age group [35 percent]. The three predominant symptoms associated with urinary stones were lumbar pain [43 percent], dysuria [25 percent] and hematuria [12 percent]. Other symptoms included history of passing urinary stones [9 percent], urinary retention [7 percent], bladder irritation [3 percent] and vomiting [2 percent]. As for the chemical composition of urinary stones, most of the stones isolated in this study were composed of calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate [56.25 percent], calcium oxalate and uric acid [22.5 percent] and calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate and uric acid [12.5], however, stones composed solely of uric acid, calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate and struvite were also found