Egyptian urinary stones in the COVID-19 outbreak: a multi-center study

Background Urolithiasis is a unique disease that can cause emergencies and can impair kidney function over time, especially if infections overlap. This work aimed to compare urolithiasis in the pre- and post-pandemic era and to study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patient preferences and decision-making for symptomatic urolithiasis and consequently complications. Methods This case–control multi-center study was conducted at the Urology Department of two tertiary centers in XXX. Participants were divided into two groups: group A: patients who had urolithiasis from March 1, 2018, to February 29, 2020 (pre-COVID-19 period), and group B: patients who had urolithiasis from March 1, 2020, to February 28, 2022 (during COVID-19 period). Results Group A had a significantly higher incidence of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) without double J stenting (DJ), nephrolithotomy + pyelolithotomy and total PCNL compared to group B which had a lower incidence of URS without DJ and total URS. The operation was delayed among 72 (15.9%) patients during the pandemic. In total, 116 (25.6%) were subjected to previous stone removal surgery. In total, 59 (13%) of patients had COVID-19 infection before stone diagnosis. One hundred thirty-two patients (29.1%) were on vitamin C. The presence of positive family history was statistically significant in patients who underwent ESWL in comparison with patients who underwent endoscopy or surgery ( P = 0.03). Conclusions COVID-19 significantly impacted endourological services for urinary stones in terms of surgical volume and case complexity.