PATIENT-EVALUATION - LABORATORY AND IMAGING STUDIES

Renal calculus disease remains a significant health problem in our pop ulation. Improvement in our ability to treat patients with kidney ston es has shifted the focus away from patient evaluation. The ''modern st one age'' has seen the development of endourologic techniques and shoc k wave lithotripsy, and many clinicians take a more cavalier approach to the identification of etiologic factors and to tile development of preventative strategies. This article reviews the various laboratory a nd imaging modalities that are available and the rationale for their u se.