Prevalence and Pattern of Urinary Tract Obstruction in Patients with Urolithiasis in Southeast Nigeria

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Abstract Background: Urolithiasis is a global problem and its prevalence is steadily increasing. This trend is also true in tropical and sub-Saharan Africa. Urinary tract obstruction is a common complication of untreated urolithiasis. Data on the prevalence and pattern of this obstruction are limited in the literature. Objectives: The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence and pattern of urinary tract obstruction in patients with urinary stone disease. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study carried out over 9 years between April 2013 and June 2022. Records of patients who had abdominopelvic computerized tomography scans done at Hansa Clinics Enugu were retrieved for this study. From the medical records, the age and gender of the patients were extracted. The pattern and degree of obstruction noted on the imaging were recorded. Data were described using frequencies and proportions in tables and graphs. Analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences for Windows, version 26.0. Results: Out of 2467 subjects reviewed, urinary tract stones were identified in 356 subjects (14.4%). The mean age of the subjects was 49 ± 15.7 years. The majority were males (57.0%). In those with urinary tract obstruction, the majority had hydronephrosis (67.9%) followed by hydroureter (43.0%) and pelvocaliectasis (37.6%). Conclusion: Urinary tract obstruction with stones is common, and often associated with hydronephrosis and hydroureter. Therefore, early detection and management using relevant imaging techniques will go a long way in reducing the burden of renal failure which is a serious possible sequelae.