Kidney stones are one of the fastest growing health conditions among children, adolescents, and young adults. The rapid increase over a short period of time has resulted in a large number of pediatric patients who require surgery to remove kidney stones with very little information available to guide selection of treatment options. There are three alternative approaches to remove kidney stones:

• Ureteroscopy (an endoscopic outpatient procedure)
• Shockwave lithotripsy (a noninvasive outpatient procedure)
• Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (a minimally invasive surgery with a short hospital stay)

The purpose of this study is to determine how what you eat and drink (your diet), antibiotics you take, and the bacteria that live in your gut (microbiome) contribute to developing kidney stones. Kidney stone disease, known as nephrolithiasis, is also influenced by products of metabolism (metabolites) that are found in your urine. These factors will be examined in participants at least 4 years of age. Each participant will complete three 24-hour dietary recalls and will provide one stool sample and up to two urine samples. The information from this study will help doctors find new metabolic pathways that can be used for treatment of kidney stones.

Urinary stone disease (USD) is a common, chronic disorder that is seen more frequently in adolescence today than in the past. Current understanding of its impact on bone development and structure as well as dental health is not known. We will be evaluating bone and dental quality in 90 children/adolescents with USD and 90 healthy children/adolescents. The study requires: two to three visits for a total of three to four hours, that the participant be 5-21 years old, and compensation will be provided. If interested in participating contact the research coordinator at 267-226-6995.