Abstract

• Objectives
  Urolithiasis is the most common and important disease in the field of Urology, and recently the incidence of urolithiasis has increasing tendency according to the improvement of living condition in Korea. In the management of urolithiasis, open surgery was done mainly until several years ago. But not with the development of extracorporeal shock wave lithotriptor (ESWL), endourology and other new instruments, the urolithiasis is easily treated, not surgically.
• Methods
  The author analyzed patients with urolithiasis who had been admitted to Ewha Womans University Hospital from April 1976 to December 1995 to know the change ofoccurrent trend and treatment for urolithiasis for the past 20 years.
• Results
  The following results were obtained ;
  1) During the periods, 3,069 cases were urolithiasis(31.1%) of the 9,868 total admitted patients in urology. The total number and rate of incidence were increased constantly especially until late eighties, but since the year of 1991 those were slightly decreased.
  2) The sex ratio of male to female was not changed significantly. The occurrent rate under age of 20 years old was decreased but increased after 6th decades. The seasonal occurrence was the highest in summer until 1985, but after then there was no seasonal difference.
  3) The incidence of ureter, bladder and urethral calculi was decreased but that of renal calculi was increased.
  4) In the management, the open surgery and expectant therapy were decreased after October 1986, but the rate of nephrectomy was slightly increased. In endourological management, the success rate of ESWL, PNL and URS was 92.8%, 86.6% and 96.7% respectively.
• Conclusions
  For the past 20 years, the trend of urolithiasis was changed and modalities of treatment were changed, especially since the late of 1980s.
• Keywords: Urolithiasis; Trend; Treatment; Change