American Journal of Roentgenology, Vol 163, 1309-1313, Copyright © 1994 by American Roentgen Ray Society
Diagnosis and treatment of nephrolithiasis: current perspectives
AJ LeRoy
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905.
Urinary stones are a frequent cause of morbidity in persons in affluent
industrialized societies. The surgical management of symptomatic stones in
the upper urinary tract has changed dramatically in the past generation,
largely because of the introduction of progressively less invasive
treatment techniques. The concurrent revolution in radiologic imaging and
interventional techniques has mirrored the surgical experience. This
article reviews the current diagnosis and therapy of nephrolithiasis. An
evaluation of the complex metabolic abnormalities present in the population
of patients with urolithiasis is beyond the scope of this article, but
several good reviews of this subject have been published recently [1-4].
Because primary urolithiasis involving the bladder or urethra is less
common and is a separate medical entity, this article is focused on renal
and ureteral calculi.