Contribution of Computed Tomography to the Diagnosis of Urinary Lithiasis in a West African University Hospital

Introduction: Urinary lithiasis is defining as a condition characterized by the formation of concretions in the kidneys or urinary excretory tract. We aimed to study professional practice in CT urinary lithiasis at CHUYO. Materials and method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study with retrospective data collection covering 3 years from January 2017 to December 2019. Results: In general, it was noted that CT scans in our environment provide all the elements needed by urologists to diagnose urinary lithiasis and its impact on the urinary system. However, there are shortcomings, particularly in terms of the accuracy of the shape and density of the stones in the CT scan reports, which does not make it easier for urologists to decide on treatment. Conclusion: Computed tomography plays a major role in the diagnosis and therapeutic management of urinary lithiasis, and its use needs to be improved in our context.

The use of an artificial neural network in the evaluation of the extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy as a treatment of choice for urinary lithiasis

Objective:Artificial neural networks(ANNs)are widely applied in medicine,since they substantially increase the sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosis,classification,and the prognosis of a medical condition.In this study,we constructed an ANN to evaluate several parameters of extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy(ESWL),such as the outcome and safety of the procedure.Methods:Patients with urinary lithiasis suitable for ESWL treatment were enrolled.An ANN was designed using MATLAB.Medical data were collected from all patients and 12 nodes were used as inputs.Conventional statistical analysis was also performed.Results:Finally,716 patients were included in our study.Univariate analysis revealed that diabetes and hydronephrosis were positively correlated with ESWL complications.Regarding efficacy,univariate analysis revealed that stone location,stone size,the number and density of shockwaves delivered,and the presence of a stent in the ureter were independent factors of the ESWL outcome.This was further confirmed when adjusted for sex and age in a multivariate analysis.The performance of the ANN at the end of the training state reached 98.72%.The four basic ratios(sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,and negative predictive value)were calculated for both training and evaluation data sets.The performance of the ANN at the end of the evaluation state was 81.43%.Conclusion:Our ANN achieved high score in predicting the outcome and the side effects of the ESWL treatment for urinary stones.

Urinary Lithiasis in Children at the Abeche Chu

Introduction: Urinary calculosis is the presence of stones in the urinary tract. It is more common in adults than in children. The aetiologies are multiple and depend on age. The management of calculi in children requires an active aetiological search because of the frequency of hereditary abnormalities which are at the origin of recurrences. The aim of our study was to report the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic aspects of urinary lithiasis in children in the context of our practice. Aim: To report the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic aspects of urinary lithiasis in children in our practice context. Patients and Method: This was a retrospective descriptive study carried out in the Urology Department of the University Hospital of Abeche from January 2013 to December 2019. Thirty files of patients aged 0 to 15 years operated on for urinary lithiasis were retained. The variables studied for each patient were: age, sex, clinical, para-clinical and therapeutic aspects. Results: We selected 30 cases. Patients ranged in age from 0 to 15 years, with an average age of 5.5 years. There were 26 boys and 4 girls. 62% of the patients were from rural areas. The antecedents were bilharziasis, urinary tract infections, congenital malformation, trauma and bladder lithiasis. Clinical symptoms were dominated by acute urinary retention (n = 16) and dysuria (n = 14). Urine cytobacteriological tests were positive in 16 cases. The diagnosis was made in the majority of cases by ultrasound and/or unprepared abdomen (UA). The location of lithiasis was mainly the bladder (n = 16). Treatment was surgical in 96.7% of cases, with cystolithotomy predominating. Therapeutic results were satisfactory in 90% of cases. Conclusion: Urinary calculi in children are less common than in adults. In our region, stones are most often found in the bladder. Open surgery is still the preferred method of treatment in our practice.

Surgical Treatment of Upper Urinary Tract Lithiasis in Conakry

Introduction: The management of urinary lithiasis in our settings has long been conventional surgery. The recent introduction of endoscopy of the upper urinary tract represents a major advance in our department. The aim was to contribute to the study of the treatment of lithiasis of the upper urinary tract in Conakry and to report on our initial experience of ureteroscopy in Conakry. Methodology: This is a prospective descriptive study lasting one year, from January 1 to December 31, 2022, carried out at the Urology Department of the Ignace Deen National Hospital and at the PERCHIN Urological Clinic. The study included all patients treated surgically for lithiasis of the upper urinary tract who met the selection criteria. Results: The study included 57 patients. The mean age was 30 years, with extremes of 20 and 73 years;the most represented age group was 31 to 40 years, followed by 20 to 30 years with 29.9% and 26.3% respectively. Males predominated in 36 cases (63.15%), with a M/F sex ratio of 1.71. Left-sided renal colic was the most common, at 75.43% (n=43), and right-sided renal colic at 40.35%, associated with digestive signs at 43.85%. 77.19% had normal creatinine levels before surgery, versus 22.81% with elevated creatinine levels, i.e. 15.78% improvement in renal function after surgery. Urinary tract infection was found in 47.36%, and Escherichia coli in 31.57%, followed by staphylococcus aureus in 8.77%. Overall, 82.45% of patients had organic damage to the kidneys or ureters. Right ureterohydronephrosis was noted in 56.14%, followed by left hydronephrosis in 26.32%. Open surgery was predominant in 52.63% of cases, with endoscopic surgery (URS) accounting for a significant 47.36% during the study period. The endoscopic treatment used was laser ureteroscopy. In our study, 73.68% underwent drainage of the upper excretory tract, including 64.91% with a JJ catheter. The average length of stay was 07 days, with extremes of 02 and 28 days, and 81.4% of patients who underwent URS had a length of stay of less than 4 days. Conventional surgery had the highest complication rate (14.28%). The stone free rate for the two surgical treatment methods (open and endoscopic surgery) was 73% and 92.59%.

Renal Failure of Lithiasis Origin: Frequency and Management in the Nephrology and Haemodialysis Department of the Point G University Hospital in Mali

Background: The term urinary lithiasis (UL) from the Greek “lithos” refers to the disease characterised by the result of abnormal precipitation of normal constituents of the urine within the urinary tract. The aim of this work was to determine the frequency of obstructive renal failure (ORF) of lithiasis origin and to describe the therapeutic indications. Methods: This was a retrospective prospective study in patients hospitalised in the nephrology department of Point G University Hospital for ORF of lithiasis origin over a 26-month period from 1 January 2018 to 1 February 2020 inclusive. Results: Among 1898 hospitalized patients, 32 met the inclusion criteria, i.e. a frequency of 1.7%. The male sex was 68.75% with a sex ratio of 2.2. The mean age was 48.38 ± 13.423 years with extremes of 20 and 65 years. Dysuria and urinary bilharzia were the main uro-nephrological antecedents, accounting for 25% of the cases each. Pain syndrome was the main functional sign, accounting for 100%. Ultrasound of the urinary tract (n = 28) showed stones in 92.85%. These stones were bilateral in 22.22% of cases. The dilatation was pyelocalic in 14 cases (51.8%). The uroscanner showed a pyelic location of the stones in both kidneys;42.1% on the right and 33.3% on the left. Hydronephrosis was the most common dilatation: 37.8% on the right and 29.7% on the left. Renal lithiasis was complicated by acute kidney injury (ARI) in 17 cases (53.1%) versus 15 cases (46.9%) of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Urethral catheter was the means of drainage in 24 (75%) followed by nephrostomy in 8 cases (25%). Nephrolithotomy accounted for 9.4% of cases. The case fatality rate was 28.12% (9 cases). Deaths occurred in the context of uraemic coma 6 cases and cardiorespiratory arrest 3 cases. Conclusions: The management of urinary lithiasis complicated by renal failure calls for the correction of hydrolytic disorders, drainage of the excretory tract and treatment of the stone, of which percutaneous nephrolithotomy seems to be the modality of choice.