MEDICAL-MANAGEMENT OF NEPHROLITHIASIS

About 1 out of 14 males and 1 out of 30 females are afflicted with kid ney stones. In many of these patients, the disease is recurrent. Fortu nately, our understanding of the disease and ability to treat renal st one disease has increased in the last decade. Parenteral NSAIDs have b een shown to be as effective as narcotics in treating renal colic. Die tary and drug therapy after proper metabolic evaluation of patients wi th recurrent stones is beneficial in reducing the recurrence rate. New understanding of the role of diet and many organic inhibitors of crys tallization in urine will further broaden the scope of management of t his common disease.