title: Melamine related bilateral renal calculi in 50 children: single center experience in clinical diagnosis and treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the clinical diagnosis and treatment features of bilateral renal calculi in young children who ingested melamine tainted infant milk formula.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively analyzed clinical data on 50 children (mean +/- SE age 23.4 +/- 3.1 months) with a history of ingesting melamine tainted infant milk formula and suffering from bilateral renal calculi. All patients underwent ultrasound and renal function evaluation. Treatment included cessation of melamine tainted formula consumption, hydration, urine basification and hemodialysis if necessary.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bilateral renal calculi peaked in 6 to 18-month-olds (58% of cases). The male-to-female ratio was 3.1:1.0. Calculi ranged in diameter from 4 to 10 mm in 33 patients (66%) and 2.5 to 4 mm in 17 (34%). Of the 11 patients with renal failure 8 underwent 1 to 4 sessions of hemodialysis. Of the 9 bilateral obstruction cases with renal failure 8 did not require surgical intervention but 1 required ureteral catheterization to drain the renal pelvis. All children experienced a good outcome and were discharged home after a mean +/- SE hospitalization of 8.1 +/- 0.7 days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Melamine related urinary calculi were most often seen in patients 6 to 18 months old. Conservative management has been sufficient in most cases. However, these children need to be monitored for long-term effects of melamine tainted milk formula consumption.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Clinical Medicine, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China. wenjg@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Jian Guo
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Zhen Z
authors.initials: ZZ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Rui F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jia X
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Sheng J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D041943:Infant Formula; D007669:Kidney Calculi / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D012117:Resins, Synthetic / Q000633:toxicity*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014227:Triazines / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D012117:Resins, Synthetic; D014227:Triazines; C011907:melamine