Kidney Stones

Hospitalization for kidney stones in the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) population is common, particularly among Crohn's patients who had a small bowel resection. This patient population experiences a lifetime occurrence of kidney stone formation as high as 25% accompanied with a high rate of recurrence (the typical rate of stone formation is ~10% in the non IBD population). Giving oral calcium is used to bind oxalate in the intestine in an attempt to reduce the amount of oxalate that is absorbed into the body and to reduce urinary oxalate levels.

The aim of this research is to determine an effective antibiotic regimen following definitive surgical therapy of kidney stones caused by bacterial infection (struvite stones).

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is a surgical procedure that is standard of care for the removal of large kidney stones. PCNL involves removal of the stone(s) from the kidney through a temporary tract that is percutaneously placed through the patient's back during surgery. There is a significant risk of urinary tract infection after PCNL but wide clinical variation in use of prophylactic antibiotics in the days leading up to surgery.

The purpose of this study is to add to the investigators' quest to understanding stone disease, by evaluating the metabolites excretion in urine and its relation to microflora present in the stool.