Background: The previous epidemiological study of paediatric nephrolithiasis in Britain was conducted more than 30 years ago. Aims: To examine the presenting features, predisposing factors, and treatment strategies used in paediatric stones presenting to a British centre over the past five years. Methods: A total of 121 children presented with a urinary tract renal stone, to one adult and one paediatric centre, over a five year period (1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001). All children were reviewed in a dedicated stone clinic and had a full infective and metabolic stone investigative work up. Treatment was assessed by retrospective hospital note review. Results: A metabolic abnormality was found in 44% of children, 30% were classified as infective, and 26% idiopathic. Bilateral stones on presentation occurred in 26% of the metabolic group compared to 12% in the infective/idiopathic group (odds ratio 2.7, 95% CI 1.03 to 7.02). Coexisting urinary tract infection was common (49%) in the metabolic group. Surgically, minimally invasive techniques (lithotripsy, percutaneous nephrolithotomy, and endoscopy) were used in 68% of patients. Conclusions: There has been a shift in the epidemiology of paediatric renal stone disease in the UK over the past 30 years. Underlying metabolic causes are now the most common but can be masked by coexisting urinary tract infection. Treatment has progressed, especially surgically, with sophisticated minimally invasive techniques now employed. All children with renal stones should have a metabolic screen.

Objective To determine whether anterior prostatic tumours are adequately sampled using the Stamey sextant protocol, as a fifth of prostate cancers are anterior in distribution at radical prostatectomy. Materials and methods All tumours (62) with an anterior distribution (75% of the tumour anterior to the urethra) on radical prostatectomy whole‐mounts, and in which the number and results of the sextant biopsies were available, were extracted from a prostate cancer database. Sixty‐one posterior tumours (75% of the malignant tissue posterior to the urethra) and their corresponding sextant biopsies were also retrieved for comparison. The number of biopsy sessions, the number of cores involved and the summated tumour length were recorded, together with the prostate gland weight, the tumour volume and the site of 75% of tumour in the superior‐inferior axis. Results Anterior tumours required significantly more biopsy sessions to diagnose prostate cancer than posterior neoplasms (anterior, one set 47; > one set 15; posterior, one set 57; > one set, four, P=0.007). Anterior tumours had fewer cores with tumour involvement and less summated tumour length than had posterior cancers. The mean (sd) number of positive cores was; anterior 1.8 (1.01), posterior 2.50 (1.30) (P=0.001); the summated tumour length was; anterior 5.05 (4.10) mm, posterior 9.25 (7.80) mm (P<0.001). There was no significant difference in gland weight (mean anterior 43.8 g; posterior 48.3 g, P=0.3) or tumour volume (mean anterior 1.85 mL; posterior 1.49 mL, P=0.11) between the groups. There was no significant difference between the incidence of anterior and posterior neoplasms with respect to their position in the superior‐inferior axis (P=0.96). Conclusions Anterior prostate tumours account for 21% of all prostate cancers. They more often require multiple sets of sextant biopsies for diagnosis, and yield smaller areas of cancer on core biopsies than do posterior tumours in glands of similar weight and tumour volume. If prostate cancer is suspected clinically but biopsies are negative, targeting the anterior gland at subsequent prostatic biopsy should be considered.

Two hundred and fifty cases of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) are described. One hundred and fifty cases were treated in two stages, 100 in a single stage. The one-stage method has been shown to be as safe as the two-stage method but should be reserved for those with experience of the technique and who possess adequate instrumentation. PNL has proved to be a preferable option to open stone surgery and a useful alternative to extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL).

A review was carried out on 1000 cases of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), Group 1 (500), 1981-1985, being compared with Group 2 (500), 1985-1988. Previous renal surgery had been performed in 17.4% of patients in Group 1 and 36% in Group 2. There were 17.2% complicated patients in Group 1 and 51% in Group 2. The stone burden included 30.2% multiple, partial staghorn and staghorn calculi in Group 1 and 47.2% in Group 2. The use of in situ stone disintegration increased from 22.2% in Group 1 to 73.4% in Group 2 and nephrostomy drainage was necessary in 29.6% compared with 75%. Post-operative complications increased from 13.6 to 24%. Stone-free rates decreased from 92 to 51%, but the addition of other methods of treatment and the inclusion of patients with stone fragments of 2 mm or less increased these figures to 98% in Group 1 and 83% in Group 2. More complicated patients with complex stones are now being referred for PCNL. These patients require multiple treatments, including extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) and percutaneous surgery, in combination with other endoscopic and radiological procedures.