Expectant Management of Ureter Stones: Outcome and Clinical Factors of Spontaneous Passage in a Single Institution's Experience

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of ureter stones with expectant management and the clinical factors associated with stone passage in Koreans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the charts of patients who visited the emergency room or urological office of our institution with acute renal colic between 2001 and 2008. A total of 656 ureter stone formers were enrolled in this study who had decided to be treated by expectant management. Clinical data such as gender, age, size and location of the stone, body mass index, and previous stone history were analyzed to find the factors related to spontaneous passage of ureter stones. RESULTS: Of the 656 ureter stones, 566 stones (86.3%) were spontaneously expelled. Mean duration of follow-up was 17.5 days (range, 1 to 100 days). Mean time to stone passage was 6.8 days for stones less than 2 mm in size, 12.6 days for stones 2 to 4 mm, 14.8 days for stones 4 to 6 mm, and 21.8 days for stones 6 to 8 mm (p<0.001). The cumulative spontaneous passage rate was 55.3% in 7 days, 73.7% in 14 days, 88.5% in 28 days, and 97.7% in 60 days after the first attack. A total of 90 patients (13.7%) required interventions because of symptom relapse or renal deterioration that was related to the location and size of the stone (each, p<0.001). The more proximal the location and the larger the stone was than 6 mm, the less the chance of spontaneous passage (each, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Size and location of ureter stones are the most important factors for predicting the spontaneous passage of the stone. If a patient has a distal ureter stone of less than 6 mm in size, it is acceptable for the urologist to observe for spontaneous passage for 2 months.

Phosphaturia as a Promising Predictor of Recurrent Stone Formation in Patients with Urolithiasis

PURPOSE: Recent studies have suggested that renal phosphate leakage and the associated phosphaturia are significant underlying causes of calcium urolithiasis. The aims of this study were to assess whether phosphaturia relates to urinary metabolic abnormalities and recurrent stone formation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A database of patient histories and urine chemistries was analyzed for 1,068 consecutive stone formers (SFs) and 106 normal controls. Urine values for phosphaturia that were higher than 95% of the normal control values were defined as indicating hyperphosphaturia, and the effect of phosphaturia on urinary metabolites and stone recurrence was determined. Of these patients, 247 patients (23.1%) who had been followed up for more than 36 months or had a recurrence of stones during follow-up (median, 46.0 months; range, 5-151) were included in the analyses for stone recurrence. RESULTS: Of the SFs, 19.9% (212/1,068) had increased urinary phosphate excretion. SFs with hyperphosphaturia had a greater urinary volume and higher levels of calcium, uric acid, oxalate, and citrate than did SFs with normophosphaturia. A multivariate Cox regression model, stratified by stone episodes, revealed that hyperphosphaturia was an independent predictor of recurrent stone formation in first-time SFs (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.122; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.100-4.097; p=0.025). No association was detected between hyperphosphaturia and recurrent stone formation in recurrent SFs. Kaplan-Meier curves showed identical results. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that hyperphosphaturia is closely associated with urinary metabolic abnormalities. Furthermore, hyperphosphaturia is a significant risk factor for stone recurrence in first-time SFs.

Influence of Obesity on Short-term Surgical Outcome of the Transobturator Tape Procedure in Patients with Stress Urinary Incontinence / 대한배뇨장애요실금학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of our study was to evaluate the influence of obesity on clinical characteristics, quality of life (QoL), and outcomes in patients with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) who underwent the transobturator tape (TOT) surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records of SUI patients who underwent the TOT operation from January 2007 to February 2009 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with any neurologic diseases that affect the voiding pattern were excluded, and 107 patients were enrolled. The patients were divided into nonobese (BMI or =25) groups. The preoperative evaluation consisted of history taking, physical examination, cystometrography, 3-day frequency-volume chart, King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ), and symptom perception scale questionnaires. RESULTS: The nonobese group consisted of 55 (51.4%) patients and the obese group of 52 (48.6%). The median age was 49.0 (range, 30.8-73.5) years in the nonobese group and 52.7 (range, 35.5-73.5) years in the obese group (p>0.05). The obese group showed a higher SUI symptom grade, urethral hypermobility, urgency, and urge incontinence scale than did the nonobese group (each p0.05). After the operation, the symptom scales and parameters in the 3-day frequency-volume chart of the obese group were similar to those of the nonobese group (each p>0.05). The objective success, recurrence, and complication rates at 1year were similar in the two groups (each p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Obese SUI patients had worse SUI symptom grade, urgency, and urge incontinence symptoms than did nonobese patients. However, surgical correction by the TOT operation could restore the symptoms and voiding parameters as effectively in obese patients as in nonobese patients.