[Urinary stones in Tunisian children, based on series of 187 cases].

Objective: The aim of this study is to define epidemiologic and structural particularities of urinary stones in Tunisian children.

Patient And Methods: Between 1995 to 2007, 187 stones of Tunisian children were studied. Structural analysis was performed by infrared spectrophotometry.

Results: We analyzed 187 stones from 122 boys and 65 girls. Their age ranged from two months to 18 years. Our study shows a male predominance with a sex ratio of 1,88. Stones were renal in 64.8%, ureteral in 20.6% and 14.6% were vesical. Whewellite was the main component (49,2% of stones) with a female predominance. Among phosphatic stones, carbapatite was in the lead (10.7%) followed by struvite (7%), which predominate in male.

Conclusion: The epidemiological profile of urinary stones in children in Tunisia is situated between that observed in developed countries and that observed in developing countries.