Pediatric urolithiasis in coastal Tunisia

ABSTRACT

We will try to show an outline of the clinical and biological characteristics of pediatric urolithiasis among Tunisian children in the coastal region. This retrospective study included 168 children below 16 years [100 boys and 68 girls] presented with urinary stones. Patients were reviewed in a multi-centric study with regard to age at diagnosis, sexual, historical, physical, laboratory, and radiologic findings. The physical and chemical analysis of stones was carried out by a stereomicroscope and infra-red spectroscopy respectively. Statistical analysis of data was carried out using software SPSS 11.0 for Windows. Statistical significance was determined using chi-square test. The sex ratio was 1.47. Clinical presentation of this pathology was dominated by abdominal pain [28%], hematuria [25.6%], dysuria [16.7%] and urinary tract infection [14.3%]. Stones were located in the upper urinary tract in 75.6% of cases. Of the urine cultures, 14.3% were positive. Whewellite is found more frequently in children stones than infants [P < 0.05] and was the main component in 46.4% of stone section and 55.4% of stone surface. Stuvite stones were more frequent among boys stones than girls' [11 Vs 2.9%] [P < 0.05]. The male prevalence of pediatric urolithiasis is less obvious in Tunisia. Calcium oxalate is the most frequent chemical compound in Tunisian pediatric urolithiasis