Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42581823›Full record

ArticleBJU international2026

Trends in kidney stone disease: a 5-year update of stone management in England and Scotland.

Catherine E Lovegrove, Robert Geraghty, Imran Ahmad, Hing Y Leung, Ben Turney

Abstract read
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Article in BJU international, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Catherine E LovegroveSchool of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-8557-609X
Robert GeraghtyNewcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-9128-5173
Imran AhmadSchool of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-4404-1926
Hing Y LeungSchool of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
Ben TurneyNuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo describe contemporary trends in kidney stone disease (KSD)-related inpatient episodes, procedures, and costs in England and Scotland, with emphasis on post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) service recovery, socioeconomic variation in Scotland, comparison with other urological procedures, and 10-year healthcare demand and cost projections. MATERIALS AND

methodsRetrospective descriptive analyses were conducted using English Hospital Episode Statistics (2020-2025) and Public Health Scotland data (2019-2024). KSD-related finished consultant inpatient episodes and procedures were identified using the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision and Operation and Procedures fourth edition codes, respectively. Procedures were categorised as extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy, ureterorenoscopy (URS), percutaneous nephrolithotomy, or open. Trends were compared with uro-oncological resections and benign prostate obstruction procedures. Socioeconomic variation was assessed using the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. The 10-year healthcare demand and cost projections, accounting for National Health Service (NHS) cost uplift factors, were modelled using historical data.

resultsThe COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately reduced KSD-associated activity compared with procedures for bladder and kidney cancer. Although volumes now exceed pre-pandemic levels, inpatient episodes remain below baseline and waiting times remain prolonged. Between 2020 and 2025, inpatient episodes increased by 27.4% in England and 17% in Scotland, with URS accounting for >50% of interventions. KSD procedural volumes are comparable to the combined volume of uro-oncological resections and benign prostatic obstruction procedures. In Scotland, 44% of procedures were performed in the two most deprived socioeconomic quintiles versus 37% in the two least deprived. In England, KSD-associated episodes are projected to increase by 33% to 111 907 (95% confidence interval 96 057-130 373) by 2034-2035, with an estimated cumulative NHS cost of £1.82 billion over the next decade.

conclusionKidney stone disease exacts a growing burden on healthcare services with incomplete recovery of inpatient care following the COVID-19 pandemic, socioeconomic disparities, and rising healthcare demand. These findings can inform service planning and prioritise evaluation of strategies to improve efficiency, equity, and prevention.

Indexed as

COVID-19Kidney CalculiEnglandFemaleHealth Care CostsHospitalizationHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesSARS-CoV-2Scotlanddiagnosisepidemiologykidney stone diseasemanagementnephrolithiasisurolithiasis

Identifiers

PMID42581823
PMCPMC13550797

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