Upper Urinary Tract Calculi at the Sanou Souro Teaching Hospital of Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso). Epidemiological, Clinical and Therapeutic Aspects Studied in 110 Cases

Objective: To study the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic aspects of upper urinary tract lithiasis at our department. Material and Methods: This is a retrospective study based on the patients' records and covering the period from January 1, 1992 to December 31, 2002. Results: During a period of 10 years, 110 cases of upper urinary tract calculi out of a total number of 7128 hospitalized patients were seen at our institution, thus constituting 1,54% of all hospital admissions. The patients' mean age was 35,49 years (range: one to 75 years), the male to female ratio was 7:1. The main presenting symptom was renal colic followed by lower back pain. Treatment was mainly by open surgery (108 of 109 cases were managed by conventional surgery). Follow-up was uneventful in all cases with a mean hospital stay of 13,5 days. Conclusion: Upper urinary tract lithiasis is rarely encountered in our region, but it seems to be in constant progression. We are still obliged to resort to open surgery in most cases, although this method is not the treatment of choice in developed countries any more.