Urolithiasis最新文献

To present an efficient method for fabricating artificial kidney stones with acoustic and physical properties to assess their fragmentation efficiency under shock waves and laser lithotripsy for very hard stones. The mixture ratio of super-hard plaster and water was adjusted to produce artificial kidney stones for comparison with > 95% human genuine calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) and uric acid (UA) stones. Acoustic and physical properties, such as wave speed, stone hardness, density, compressive strength, and stone-free rates under shock-wave and laser lithotripsy, were assessed. The longitudinal wave speed of artificial stones prepared at a plaster-to-water ratio of 15:3 closely matched that of COM stones. Similarly, the transverse wave speed of artificial stones prepared at a plaster-to-water ratio of 15:3 to 15:5 aligned with that of COM stones. Stone fragmentation using shock-wave of artificial stones with mixed ratios ranging from 15:3 to 15:5 resembled that of COM stones. The Vickers hardness was similar to that of artificial stones produced with a mixing ratio of 15:3, similar to that of COM stones, while that of artificial stones produced with a mixing ratio of 15:5 was similar to that of UA stones. Density-wise, artificial stones with mixing ratios of 15:4 and 15:5 resembled COM stones. Compressive strength test results did not confirm the similarity between natural and artificial stones. The stone fragmentation using laser showed that stones produced with higher moisture content at a mixing ratio of 15:6 were similar to COM stones. This novel method for fabricating artificial kidney stones could be used to provide reliable materials for lithotripsy research.

The critical role of the human gut microbiota in kidney stone formation remains largely unknown, due to the low taxonomic resolution of previous sequencing technologies. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the gut microbiota using high-throughput sequencing to provide valuable insights and identify potential bacterial species and metabolite roles involved in kidney stone formation. The overall gut bacterial community and its potential functions in healthy participants and patients were examined using PacBio sequencing targeting the full-length 16S rRNA gene, coupled with stone and statistical analyses. Most kidney stones comprised calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate (75%), pure calcium oxalate (20%), and calcium phosphate and magnesium phosphate (5%), with higher content of Ca (130,510.5 ± 108,362.7 ppm) followed by P (18,746.4 ± 23,341.2 ppm). The microbial community structure was found to be weaker in patients' kidney stone samples, followed by patients' stool samples, than in healthy participants' stool samples. The most abundant bacterial species in kidney stone samples was uncultured Morganella, whereas that in patient and healthy participant stool samples was Bacteroides vulgatus. Similarly, Akkermansia muciniphila was significantly enriched in patient stool samples at the species level, whereas Bacteroides plebeius was significantly enriched in kidney stone samples than that in healthy participant stool samples. Three microbial metabolic pathways, TCA cycle, fatty acid oxidation, and urea cycle, were significantly enriched in kidney stone patients compared to healthy participants. Inferring bacteria at the species level revealed key players in kidney stone formation, enhancing the clinical relevance of gut microbiota.

Long non-coding ribose nucleic acids (lncRNAs) have been implicated in the development of nephrolithiasis. The study aims to investigate the interplay of lncRNA SBF2-AS1 (SETbinding factor 2 antisense RNA 1) and NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) in regulating the calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM)-induced human kidney HK-2 cell injury. HK-2 cells were treated with COM (100 µg/mL) to create a cellular model of kidney injury. Gene and protein expression was assessed by quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot. Proliferation and apoptosis rates, as well as levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 were measured. Additionally, potential miRNAs interacting with SBF2-AS1 and NLRP3 were predicted utilizing the starBase and TargetScan databases. The interference of SBF2-AS1 resulted in increased cell proliferation and SOD levels in HK-2 cells after COM induction. SBF2-AS1 silencing also reduced COM-induced cell death and inflammatory cytokine production by down-regulating NLRP3 protein expression. Conversely, forced upregulation of NLRP3 abrogated the effect of SBF2-AS1 interference. Notably, SBF2-AS1 interference on COM-induced oxidative stress and COM-induced cellular damage was rescued by antioxidant, indicating the involvement of oxidative burden in COM-induced damage. miR-302e acted as a mediator miRNA linking the functional association of SBF2-AS1 and NLRP3. Silencing SBF2-AS1 promoted miR-302e level and miR-302e reduced NLRP3 expression in HK-2 cells to protect against COM-induced damage. In summary, these findings suggest that downregulation of lncRNA SBF2-AS1 can potentially protect HK-2 cells from COM-induced injury by modulating the miR-302e/NLRP3 pathway.

Objectives: To report our initial experience of one-stage flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy(FURL) with 11/13Fr suctioning ureteral access sheath(UAS) and 8.55Fr single-use digital flexible ureteroscope(SDFU) in upper ureteral or renal calculi.

Materials and methods: We retrospectively collected the clinical data of 900 adult patients with upper ureteral or renal calculi treated by FURL with 11/13Fr suctioning UAS and 8.55Fr SDFU from January 2022 to April 2024. Demographics, peri- and postoperative outcomes were assessed.

Results: In all, 40 of 940 cases(4.26%) failed to introduce UAS and required second-stage FURL because of ureterostenosis and were excluded. Mean stones size of the remaining 900 eligible cases was 1.68 ± 0.58 cm in greatest diameter. There were 228 cases of upper ureteral stone, 456 cases of renal stone and 216 cases of concomitant ureteral and renal calculi. The mean operation time was 52.20 ± 20.21 min and the postoperative hospital stay was 2.87 ± 1.37 days. The stone-free rate of 1 month postoperatively was 89.56% and only 2.44% of patients with residue underwent additional reoperation. The rate of postoperative fever, postoperative pain needing analgesic and slight ureteral mucosal injury were 5.11%, 8.22% and 7.78%, respectively. None of patient suffered from severe complications, such as sepsis or ureteral perforation.

Conclusion: It's practical and suitable for the vast majority of adult patients to undergo FURL in single session with 11/13Fr suctioning UAS without preoperative stenting. FURL with 11/13Fr suctioning UAS and 8.55Fr SDFU is feasible, reliable, safe, and efficient in the management of renal stone and upper ureteral stone.

Patients with ureteral stones are often managed with a spontaneous trial of passage. While cost effective, the current literature has not examined the effects of a trial of passage on patients' work productivity. In this study, we aim to characterize work absence and productivity losses in a cohort of patients undergoing a trial of passage for ureteral stones. Actively employed patients aged 18 to 64 and discharged from Duke emergency departments without surgical intervention for ureteral stones ≤ 10 mm were contacted by phone four weeks after their presentation. Participants completed the Institute for Medical Technology Assessment Productivity Cost Questionnaire which assesses three domains: absenteeism - missed work; presenteeism -productivity when returning to work; and unpaid work - assistance with household work. Linear regression associated demographic and stone factors with productivity losses.109 patients completed the survey. In total, 67% of patients missed work, 46% had decreased productivity when returning to work, and 55% required assistance with unpaid work. 59% of patients with stones ≤ 5 mm missed work versus 84% with stones > 5 mm (p = 0.009). African American race (coefficient 23.68, 95% confidence interval 2.24-45.11, p = 0.031), first-time stone formers (coefficient 20.28, 95% confidence interval 2.50-38.07, p = 0.026), and patients with stones > 5 mm (coefficient 25.34, 95% CI 5.25-45.44, p = 0.014) were associated with increased productivity losses. The majority of patients miss work while undergoing a trial of passage and many have decreased productivity when returning to work. This information may help counsel patients in emergency departments, especially first-time stone formers, and prevent return visits.

Stone size and location are key factors in predicting spontaneous stone passage (SSP), but little attention has been paid to the influence of radiological signs of stone impaction (RSSI). This research aims to determine whether RSSI, alongside stone size, can predict SSP and to evaluate the consistency of ureteral wall thickness (UWT) measurements among observers. In this retrospective study, 160 patients with a single upper or middle ureteral stone on acute non-enhanced computed tomography (NCCT) were analysed. Patient data were collected from medical records. Measurements of RSSI, including UWT, ureteral diameters, and average attenuation above and below the stone, were taken on NCCT by four independent readers blind to the outcomes. The cohort consisted of 70% males with an average age of 51 ± 15. SSP occurred in 61% of patients over 20 weeks. The median stone length was 5.7 mm (IQR: 4.5-7.3) and was significantly shorter in patients who passed their stones at short- (4.6 vs. 7.1, p < 0.001) and long-term (4.8 vs. 7.1, p < 0.001) follow-up. For stone length, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for predicting SSP was 0.90 (CI 0.84-0.96) and only increased to 0.91 (CI 0.85-0.95) when adding ureteral diameters and UWT. Ureteral attenuation did not predict SSP (AUC < 0.5). Interobserver variability for UWT was moderate, with ± 2.0 mm multi-reader limits of agreement (LOA). The results suggest that RSSI do not enhance the predictive value of stone size for SSP. UWT measurements exhibit moderate reliability with significant interobserver variability.

Impacted proximal ureteral stones (IPUS) present challenging clinical scenarios due to their persistent nature and associated complications. While ureterorenoscopy (URS) lithotripsy is recommended as the primary treatment, controversies exist regarding the optimal management of such stones. In this retrospective analysis, we compared the operative outcomes and long-term results of transperitoneal laparoscopic ureterolithotomy (LU) and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for IPUS larger than 15 mm. Propensity score matching (PSM) was employed to mitigate potential selection biases. Following PSM, 83 patients in each cohort exhibited comparable baseline characteristics. LU demonstrated a superior surgical success rate (100% vs. 96.4%, p = 0.244) and significantly lower perioperative hemoglobin decline (0.6 ± 0.4 g/dL vs. 1.5 ± 0.7 g/dL, p = 0.036) compared to PCNL. Additionally, LU exhibited a higher stone-free rate after 2 months (100% vs. 91.6%, p = 0.043), but a longer duration of catheterization (7.4 ± 1.2 days vs. 3.5 ± 2.2 days vs., p = 0.011). Conversely, PCNL was associated with a higher incidence of total complications (21.7% vs. 9.6%, p = 0.033) and stone recurrence during a mean period of 40-month follow-up (20.5% vs. 8.4%, p = 0.027). Transperitoneal LU and PCNL represent effective interventions for managing IPUS exceeding 15 mm. Notably, LU emerges as a preferable option over PCNL, offering superior stone clearance rates, reduced perioperative complications, and lower recurrence rates.

Mayo adhesive probability (MAP) score is one of the commonest tool to predict the adherence status of perirenal fat. The association between MAP score and intraoperative hemorrhage in patients undergoing micropercutaneous nephrolithotomy was comfirmed in a recent well designed study. We aimed to investigate if MAP score may predict the possibility for significant intraoperative bleeding in supine percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) performed with a 26 Fr rigid nephroscope. In this observational retrospective study, demographic, clinical, laboratory, radiological, perioperative (operation duration, hospitalization, intraoperative bleeding, success) and MAP score (perinephric fat stranding, posterior perinephric fat thickness and total MAP score) data of all patients who underwent supine PCNL between June 2021 and July 2023 were evaluated. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to their MAP scores (79 [54.1%] patients with MAP score < 3 [low MAP score] and 67 [54.1%] patients with MAP score ≥ 3 [high MAP score]). The rate of patients with intraoperative bleeding was 47.8% in the patient group with a high MAP score, while it was 22.8% in the patient group with a low MAP score (p = 0.002). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, anticoagulant drug use history (OR = 2.525; 95% CI = 1.025-6.224; p = 0.044), presence of multiple stones (OR = 3.015; 95% CI = 1.205-7.543; p = 0.018), calyx localization of the stone (OR = 2.871;95% CI = 1.166-7.068; p = 0.022), higher renal parenchymal thickness (OR = 1.119; 95% CI = 1.049-1.193; p = 0.001) and MAP score > 3 (OR = 3.486; 95% CI = 1.579-7.696; p = 0.002) were defined as independent risk factors for significant intraoperative bleeding. In clinical practice, the MAP score can be used to predict bleeding before PCNL.

The purpose of this study is to compare the outcomes of transperitoneal laparoscopic ureterolithotomy (TPLU), retrograde flexible ureteroscopy (R-fURS), and mini-percutaneous antegrade flexible ureteroscopy (A-fURS) for treating large (≥ 15 mm) impacted proximal ureteral stones. A total of 105 adult patients were randomized into 3 equal groups: group A (35) patients underwent TPLU, group B (35) patients underwent R-fURS, and group C (35) patients underwent A-fURS. The initial stone-free rate was 100%, 68.6%, and 80% in groups A, B, and C, respectively. The mean operative time (OT) was (85.0 ± 7.57 min) in group A, (61.0 ± 8.21 min) in group B, and (89.57 ± 15.12 min) in group C. The three groups were comparable concerning the overall complications. R-fURS is a less invasive modality for treating such stones; however, it is associated with a lower SFR and a higher rate of auxiliary procedures. Both TPLU and miniperc A-fURS are effective and valuable alternatives for treating large impacted proximal ureteric stones.