Urinary calculi during pregnancy. When are they cause for concern?

Urolithiasis during pregnancy, though rare, can be challenging both diagnostically and therapeutically. It is helpful if the physician is quick to suspect the presence of stones in the presence of appropriate signs and symptoms, particularly flank pain and tenderness, hematuria, or unresolved bacteriuria. Ultrasonography is the diagnostic imaging method of choice, but modified intravenous urography should be performed whenever this study is necessary for a prompt diagnosis. In the absence of sepsis, renal failure, or intractable pain, conservative management with hydration, analgesics, and (if infection is present) antibiotics is the favored initial approach. If conservative management fails, stent insertion or placement of a percutaneous nephrostomy tube may be appropriate. Ureteroscopy with stone manipulation for distal ureteral stones during pregnancy has also been reported in some cases. If these methods fail, open surgery should be used for stone removal.