Treatment of calcium urolithiasis with diphosphonate: efficacy and hazards.

The effect of treatment of renal stone formation with 5 to 20 mg./kg. per day oral disodium ethane-1-hydroxy-1,1-diphosphonate for up to 30 months was examined in 12 patients with active renal (calcium) stone disease. The over-all incidence of stone passage decreased from 17.8 stones per year per patient before treatment to 7.7 stones per year per patient during therapy. Of the 12 patients 7 passed fewer stones or no stones during treatment. However, the incidence of stone passage was not changed substantially by disodium ethane-1-hydroxy-1,1-diphosphonate in 5 patients. Symptoms of muscle weakness and pain in the back, hips and shoulders occurred in 3 patients during treatment, 2 patients had an increase in serum alkaline phosphatase and 1 patient had a decrease in bone density. Although disodium ethane-1-hydroxy-1,1-diphosphonate may be clinically useful to manage calcium urolithasis in certain patients its over-all use is limited because of its ineffectiveness in some patients and owing to its potential to induce osteomalacia.