Urolithiasis of the kidney transplanted patient in south Tunisia: A 17-year experience

Introduction. - Urolithiasis in a kidney transplanted patient is an uncommon but complex urological complication. Its potential severity comes from its occurrence on a solitary kidney and on a field of immunosuppression. The aim of our study is to assess the incidence, characteristics and course of urolithiasis in our series. Methods. - A retrospective study was performed. We included kidney transplanted patients between November 2002 and November 2019 and presenting lithiasis during their follow-up. Clinical, biological and radiological data were collected as well as lithiasis disease related data. The management of and patient's evolution were also specified. Results. - Seven of 416 kidney transplanted patients developed lithiasis during their follow-up with an incidence of 1.6 %. The mean age at lithiasis diagnosis was 36.5 years [24-55 years], the sex ratio was 1.3. They developed stones after mean follow-up of 67 months [4-168 months]. The stones' size varied from 2 to 18 mm. Treatment was alkalisation in 3 cases, extracorporeal lithotripsy in 2 cases, a double J stent in 3 cases and pyelolithotomy in 2 cases. Four patients had multiple treatments. Three patients had 1 residual stone during evolution (7 mm average diameter), 1 microlithiasis, 1 lost to follow-up after treatment and only 2 (out of 7) were "stone free". Furthermore, lithiasis didn't damage the graft survival after a median follow-up of 62 months post-treatment. Conclusion. - Urolithiasis in the kidney transplanted patient requires an adapted multidisciplinary management. Its skill is a challenge for both the nephrologist and urologist. (C) 2020 Societe francophone de nephrologie, dialyse et transplantation. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.