A review of pediatric cases of urinary tract calculi.

A retrospective review was performed of the records of 93 children with urinary tract calculi treated during a 10-year period (1983 to 1992). Two distinct groups of patients were identified. One group comprised 63 Aboriginal children, mainly from the northern region of Western Australia, who presented at a young age (average, 2.8 years) with urinary tract infections and failure to thrive. The other group comprised of 30 non-Aboriginal children, mainly from the metropolitan region, who presented at an older age (average, 6.7 years) with abdominal and flank pain. Calculi were located in the upper urinary tract in 85 children (91.4%) and in the bladder in eight (8.6%). Most patients underwent open surgical procedures for removal of their calculi, and the overall success rate was 86%. In recent years, percutaneous nephrolithotomy has been used successfully in selected patients with renal pelvic calculi. This method seems to be the trend for the future.