Crystalluria in Patients with and without Renal Colic

Abstract

A retropective study was conducted to evaluate crystalluria in renal colic patients. There are 135 patients in the study group (renal colic) and 199 in the control group (without renal colic). Various kinds of urinary crystals were found in routine urinalysis, including calcium oxalate, amorphous phosphate, amorphous urate, triple phosphate and uric acid. In the patients with renal colic (Group 1), 31(23%) patients had crystalluria (Group IA), and the others had free crystal in urine (Group IB). In control patients (Group II), 18 (9%) patients had crystals in urine (Group IIA), and the others had free crystal in urine (Group IIB). After the follow-up period (20-37 months), all patients received secondary urinalysis in an asymptomatic condition. Twenty-three (19%) patients in Group I, and 20 (11%) patients in Group II had crystalluria. Individually, there were 13 (42%), 10 (9%), 9 (50%) and 11 (6%) patients in Group IA, Group IB, Group IIA and Group IIB had crystalluria. With mean follow-up of 23.6 months, 28 (21%) patients in Group I had recurrent renal colic, including 12 patients in Group IA and 16 patients in Group IB. Of these 12 patients in Group IA, 7 (58%) patients had crystalluria in both examinations. Of these 16 patients in Group IB, 4 (40%) patients had crystalluria in the secondary examination. In contrast, there was no patient in Group II developing renal colic during the follow-up period. From the results of our study, crystalluria were found more frequently in the patients with renal colic than in those without, even in the period of free of symptoms. Repeated crystalluria in patients with a history of renal colic may disclose a higher recurrent rate of renal colic attack. However, further investigation will be required to clarify the precise mechanism of the calcium crystalluria and urolithiasis or renal colic.