View clinical trials related to Nephrolithiasis.
Filter by:Brushite kidney stones are a unique form of calcium phosphate stones that have a tendency to recur quickly if patients are not aggressively treated with stone prevention measures. Little research has been undertaken to better understand the clinical history and potential urinary abnormalities that may predispose one to these troublesome kidney stones.
Kidney stones vary in size from a tiny grain of sand to as large as filling the inside of the kidney. Treatment decisions depend on the size, location, and composition of the stone. Some kidney stones can be treated with lithotripsy (breaking up stones inside the body with shock waves created outside the body) or ureteroscopy (placing a small telescope up the urine channel to remove the stone). When stones are large in size or in the lower part of the kidney, a percutaneous (making a passage from the back into the kidney) procedure has been found to be the best method to remove the stones safely and efficiently. A passage is made into the back to allow a small telescope to see the stone and break it into fragments for removal. A small catheter is placed at the end of the procedure to allow the kidney to drain. The purpose of this study is to record information about your surgery into a database so we can look at how patients who have had this procedure have done over time. We hope that reporting the outcomes of this surgery will be helpful to urologists and patients in the future. There may be certain factors that can be identified through this study as having better outcomes that may help make future surgeries safer.
Gouty diathesis describes uric acid or calcium oxalate nephrolithiasis and low urinary pH (<5.5). A hereditary component has been outlined for several forms of nephrolithiasis (such as hypercalciuria, hyperoxaluria, cystinuria, renal tubular acidosis), leading to the hypothesis of a genetic predisposition to nephrolithiasis. At the Unit of Nephrology, Ospedali Riuniti di Bergamo, more than 100 patients affected by gouty diathesis are followed. Fifty percent of them has a familiarity for kidney stones formation. The aim of our study is to identify the genetic factors that predispose to the development of nephrolithiasis in patients with gouty diathesis.
High amounts of calcium in the urine (hypercalciuria) can cause development of kidney stones in children. Treatment for these children includes plenty of fluids, a low-salt diet and medications such as potassium citrate. A major advantage of potassium citrate, as compared to hydrochlorothiazide, is its lack of side effects. One problem the researchers and others have observed is that some children continue to form kidney stones despite correction of hypercalciuria with potassium citrate. One possible explanation is that in some individuals potassium citrate therapy results in an excessive elevation of urine pH, a situation that may predispose to calcium phosphate stone formation. In this study, the researchers will study the effects of potassium citrate on urine chemistries and acid-base balance in three groups of children aged 5-17 years: - children who are hypercalciuric stone formers; - healthy children without a history of hypercalciuria or kidney stones. Particular attention will be paid to try to identify those who develop a very high urine pH (>8) and the factors leading to this metabolic reaction. The researchers will try to learn whether it is the child's characteristics, the disease manifestations, the dose of the drug, or a combination of the above which may be the cause of the development of very alkaline urine. Based on the results, the researchers hope to be able to better "tailor" the individual treatment for each child with kidney stones.