UROLITHIASIS: A MODERN PERSPECTIVE ON PREVENTION AND TREATMENT

The 10th Anniversary Scientific and Practical Conference with international participation, “Urolithiasis 2024: New Horizons,” took place at the House of Scientists in Moscow. The event was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of N.A. Lopatkin and the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the Research Institute of Urology and Interventional Radiology.

Urolithiasis ranks among the most prevalent urological diseases, peaking in young and working-age individuals between 20 and 60 years. Over 45% of patients treated in urological hospitals suffer from urolithiasis, with more than 60% requiring emergency hospitalization. Despite the introduction of minimally invasive surgical methods, stone recurrence occurs in 50% of cases within 3-5 years and in 75% of cases within 10 years of initial stone formation. The primary goal for scientists and physicians in this field is to focus on disease prevention and explore new approaches to its treatment.

The conference co-chairs were Andrey Kaprin, General Director of the National Medical Research Radiological Centre (NMRRC) and Chief Oncologist of the Ministry of Health of Russia, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), and Oleg Apolikhin, Director of the N.A. Lopatkin Research Institute of Urology and Interventional Radiology, Chief Specialist for Reproductive Health of the Ministry of Health of Russia, and Corresponding Member of RAS.

Addressing the forum participants, Andrey Kaprin highlighted, “This year we celebrate three milestones: the 100th anniversary of Nikolay Alekseevich Lopatkin, the 45th anniversary of the Institute of Urology, and the 10th anniversary of our work as a unified team within the NMRRC of the Ministry of Health of Russia. Despite global political challenges, we have heard reports from our leading experts as well as colleagues from Greece, the UAE, and Uzbekistan. This is crucial for us because we share one goal – preserving people’s health and improving the quality of treatment for such a complex problem as urolithiasis.”

Academician Kaprin also noted that this year, the institute’s team published an outstanding book on the metaphylaxis of this disease, stating, “Our specialists have much to share with their colleagues.”

Conference participants discussed the history of stone formation research in Russia, the epidemiology of urolithiasis in the country and worldwide, risk factors for the disease, the role of metabolic syndrome as a contributing factor, the impact of infections on the development of urolithiasis, and the modern possibilities for its diagnosis and prevention.

The main report was delivered by Mikhail Prosyannikov, MD, Head of the Urolithiasis Department at the N.A. Lopatkin Research Institute of Urology and Interventional Radiology.

Andreas Skolarikos, Professor at the National and Kapodistrian University (Athens, Greece), presented algorithms for monitoring patients with urolithiasis. Dilmuod Egamberdiev, PhD (Fergana, Uzbekistan), discussed the diagnosis and metaphylaxis of urolithiasis using patient surveys in the Fergana region. The role of the kidneys in maintaining acid-base balance was addressed by Professor Sergey Kostyuchenko from Case Western Reserve University (Ohio, USA), an anesthesiologist and intensivist from Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (UAE).

The exchange of modern ideas and practices concerning urolithiasis at this key platform became a major event of the year in this field.