Top 10 stone disease stories in 2022
As the year comes to a close, we revisit some of this year’s top content on urologic stones.
There’s been an abundance of news surrounding stone disease over the past year. In light of all the progress that’s been made, Urology Times® is counting down the top pieces of content on urologic stones in 2022.
10. The importance of climate change to urologists treating kidney stones
Gregory Tasian, MD, MSc, MSCE, and Jason Kaufman, discussed the takeaways of the study, “The impact of heat on kidney stone presentations in South Carolina under two climate change scenarios.” Watch now.
9. Dr. Caleb Nelson on pediatric stone evaluation, treatment, and prevention
Caleb Nelson, MD, PhD, discussed the current state of evaluation and treatment of stones in pediatric patients. Read more.
8. Kidney stone treatment is associated with financial toxicity
A study published online in Urology found that most patients undergoing kidney stone treatment face moderate or severe financial toxicity when looking at both the time and money lost by patients due to receiving care. Read more.
7. Combined ultrasound procedure found effective in treating ureteral stones
Investigators at the University of Washington reported on the efficacy of using ultrasonic propulsion and burst wave lithotripsy as treatment for urinary stones in the ureter. Read more.
6. Researchers advocate ultrasound over CT for initial evaluation of suspected urinary stone disease
Investigators found no current evidence in the literature indicating that CT use is superior to other imaging modalities in reducing morbidity or improving USD outcomes. Read more.
5. “A wild and woolly time”: Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for kidney stones
James E. Lingeman, MD, discussed the development of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for the treatment of kidney stones. Read more.
4. Experts stress individualization of cases, reviewing risk factors for sepsis after ureteroscopy
Naeem Bhojani, MD, FRCSC, and Ben H. Chew, MD, MSc, FRCSC, discussed their abstract, “Mortality associated with sepsis post-ureteroscopy among a US-based commercial population,”which was presented at the 2022 American Urological Association Annual Meeting. Read more.
3. Kidney stone treatment inches toward precision medicine
"As more genes are classified and catalogued, diagnosis and treatment of kidney stones inches further and further toward 'precision medicine,'" wrote Rutul Patel, DO, MS, and Alexander Small, MD. Read more.
2. Next steps for burst wave lithotripsy in kidney stones
Jonathan D. Harper, MD, discussed next steps and take-home messages from the study, “Fragmentation of stones by Burst Wave Lithotripsy in the first 19 humans,” for which he served as a study author. Watch now.
1. Mayo study finds dietary habits that may help prevent kidney stones
The results of a study conducted by Mayo Clinic suggested that diets with foods that are high in calcium and potassium may help prevent recurrent symptomatic kidney stones. Read more.
Alkaline water unlikely to prevent kidney stones, study finds
January 11th 2024"While alkaline water products have a higher pH than regular water, they have a negligible alkali content–which suggests that they can't raise urine pH enough to affect the development of kidney and other urinary stones," says Roshan M. Patel, MD.
Microbiome alterations linked to kidney stone formation
December 21st 2023"If the diversity and robust functional potential of the healthy human microbiome is repeatedly assaulted by the average Westernized lifestyle via antibiotic exposure, diet, and other environmental factors, kidney stone prevalence will continue to increase," the authors write.
