Occurrence and treatment of kidney graft lithiasis in a series of 1500 patients.

In a series of 1500 patients transplanted between 1976 and 1992, 12 patients presented urinary calculi. The symptoms presented included obstructive anuria in 3 patients and abdominal pain in 1 patient. There were 8 asymptomatic patients. The risk factors were mainly hyperparathyroidism and non-absorbable sutures. The occurrence of renal graft calculi is now ten times less frequent than in the 1980s. In all, 5 of the patients were treated using incisional surgery, 5 with ESWL and 4 using ureteroscopy; a double J stent was inserted for the 3 cases of obstructive anuria. Nine patients are currently calculus-free and 2 have relapsed. One asymptomatic patient was not treated. The renal function of these 12 patient was not modified and no hypertension was noted after treatment. Calculi are generally asymptomatic when they are diagnosed by ultrasonography and in our experience they can be treated using ESWL or by ureteroscopy. In our opinion all patients can be treated successfully but with a high rate of relapse if the causal factors are not treated.