Top 10 stone disease stories in 2022

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.