Urinary infection stones

Infection stones make up approximately 15% of urinary stone diseases and are thus an important group. These stones are composed of struvite and/or carbonate apatite. The basic precondition for the formation of infection stones is a urease positive urinary tract infection. Urease is necessary to split urea to ammonia and CO2. As a result, ammonia ions can form and at the same time alkaline urine develops, both being preconditions for the formation of struvite and carbonate apatite crystals. When these crystals deposit themselves infection stones form. If these infections are not treated and the stones are not removed, the kidney will be damaged. For stone removal modern methods are available, e.g. ESWL and/or instrumental urinary stone removal. Here especially less invasive methods are preferable. Any treatment must be adjusted to the patient individually. Patients should be examined frequently for recurrent urinary tract infections and stone recurrences and, newly arising infections must be resolutely treated. Good therapy and prophylaxis are possible with present-day treatment modalities. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. and International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.