Urol. praxi, 2012; 13(3): 127-129

Is stone density on CT examination a predictive factor for chemical composition?

MUDr.Jan Fogl¹, MUDr.Vladimír Šámal¹, MUDr.Jan Mečl¹, MUDr.Josef Šulc²

¹ Urologické oddělení, Krajská nemocnice Liberec, a.s.

² NsP Česká Lípa, a.s.

Introduction: Today’s modern methods of diagnosing urolithiasis mainly utilize spiral CT examination. In addition to common morphological

data, it is possible to determine stone density by means of the examination. The paper deals with a possible correlation between

stone density and its chemical composition.

Material and method: The authors present a retrospective review of outcomes of the chemical composition of stones in 154 patients

from two centres who underwent surgical treatment for urolithiasis or spontaneously passed stones in their urine. In all patients, data on

stone density were obtained from CT examinations performed at the time of diagnosis of urolithiasis or during follow-up evaluations.

Results: In the reported group, a statistically significant difference was shown between the density of urate and calcium stones (p <

0.05). The differences in densities between the other groups of stones were not statistically significant. A correlation between stone

density and its chemical composition failed to be confirmed.

Conclusion: The use of non-contrast spiral CT in diagnosing urolithiasis allows to distinguish between urate and calcium stones. Predicting

the chemical composition of a stone is an important factor in selecting an optimal therapeutic strategy.

Keywords: spiral CT, diagnosis, chemical composition, urolithiasis, stone density, Housfield units

Published: June 4, 2012  Show citation