Urolithiasis: a collective term for stones in the kidney, ureter, bladder and urethra, and is a common disease of the adult urinary system. Most originate in the kidney and bladder, ureteral stones are often secondary to kidney stones, and urethral stones are mostly due to obstruction when stones are flushed out of the bladder with the urine stream. The incidence of urolithiasis is slightly higher in men than in women, and the age peak is between 25 and 40 years. Its etiology is complex and contributed by a variety of factors, such as systemic factors including metabolic disorders, diet and nutrition, long-term bed rest, living environment, mental, gender, genetic factors, etc.; local factors of the urinary system such as urinary tract infection, chronic obstruction of the urinary tract, foreign bodies, etc. According to the composition of urinary stones, they can be divided into calcium-containing stones (e.g. calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate), infected stones (the main components are ammonium magnesium phosphate and hydroxyapatite), uric acid stones (uric acid and ammonium urate), cystine stones, etc. It is noteworthy that in poor areas, malnutrition, prone to pediatric bladder stones, urate component is predominant and rarely recurs after removal; while in affluent areas, excessive intake of animal protein and dairy products, excessive nutrition, increased kidney stones, calcium oxalate component is predominant and recurrence rate is high after treatment (60-80%). The health risks of urolithiasis are mainly manifested in three aspects: local damage to the urinary tract caused by stones, urinary tract obstruction caused by stones and complications of urinary tract infection. Local injury: Small stones can move freely in the urinary tract and easily abrade the mucosa of the urinary tract causing bleeding, and this local injury is often relatively mild. Large fixed or antler-shaped urinary stones, although not very painful, can compress the mucosa of the urinary tract for a long time, causing epithelial detachment and tissue ulceration, so that the stone forms adhesions with the ureteral wall, and in serious cases, may cause cancer. Acute obstruction causes renal colic, which is characterized by severe back pain on the affected side and can be radiated to the lower abdomen, testicles or labia. Chronic obstruction, on the other hand, is sometimes not obvious and often ignored. Clinically, it is still not uncommon to see cases of loss of kidney function due to stones, and even a few occur on both sides, leading directly to uremia. Stones make urine stagnant and prone to infection. Stones as foreign bodies promote the occurrence of infection, while infection can accelerate the growth of stones. Stones, obstruction and infection interact with each other to cause parenchymal kidney damage. Not all stones should be actively treated. For asymptomatic small stones in the renal calyces, food bait and drug palliative therapy can be used with follow-up observation. For stones less than 8 mm in diameter, with smooth periphery and no obvious obstruction, they can be discharged by themselves with more water, exercise and medication (Chinese medicine urinary stone pills, western medicine antispasmodic and analgesic, etc.). In contrast, larger stones or those causing obstruction require active treatment. With the advancement of modern science and medical devices, the treatment of urolithiasis has made outstanding progress, and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) and minimally invasive lumpectomy have been widely used to change the tradition of incision and lithotripsy. The ESWL and the extracorporeal shock wave lithotripter were the major events in the medical field at the end of the 20th century and are regarded as one of the three new medical technologies of our time (CT, MRI, ESWL). This technology, which was born only in the early 1980s, is a revolution in the treatment of urinary stones and is considered a safe and effective treatment method. After more than 20 years of clinical application, the indications have evolved from general kidney stones less than 2 cm to complex kidney stones and ureteral and bladder stones, and has become the first choice for modern treatment of stones (especially smaller stones). Its main contraindications are: obstruction of the distal end of the stone, pregnancy, bleeding disorders, severe cardiovascular disease, placement of pacemakers, too obese to focus or due to severe bone or joint deformities affecting the body position, etc. Minimally invasive techniques such as ureteroscopy and percutaneous nephrolithoscopy have been improving over the past 20 years, and have become the main method for treating complex kidney and ureteral stones and ESWL treatment failures with much less trauma and higher efficiency than traditional open surgery. Lithotripsy has been clinically and experimentally proven to be effective for uric acid, phosphate and cystine stones, but it has not been commonly performed in clinical practice because of its unsatisfactory efficacy for calcium oxalate stones, which constitute the majority of the urinary system. Because of the close relationship between the development of urinary stones and diet, the prevention of urinary stones lies in the scientific and rational diet, mainly including the importance of dietary fiber intake (more cereals, potatoes and fresh vegetables); increase the intake of calcium-containing foods such as milk, fish and shrimp, kelp, etc. (but note that the prevention of urinary stones should not be achieved by taking calcium supplements, as too much calcium supplements may increase the risk of urinary stones); eat more vitamin-rich foods, especially vitamins. foods rich in vitamins, especially vitamin B6 and K (green vegetables such as alfalfa, spinach, cabbage and oranges are rich in both vitamins). Limit the intake of foods with a high content of oxalic acid (chocolate, coffee, etc.), animal protein foods and foods high in salt. Drinking more water can prevent the occurrence and recurrence of most urinary stones. It was once thought that hard water could lead to stone formation, however, researchers at home and abroad have found that stone incidence is not related to hard water, i.e. the softness of water is not the main factor in determining urinary stones. Drinking more water can increase urine, which can reduce the supersaturation of stone salts and increase the flushing of urine to the urinary tract to reduce the retention of stones. Normal activity of adults to maintain a daily water intake of 2000 to 3000 ml, in order to maintain the urine concentration at a more desirable level. It is important to choose the type of fluid wisely. Patients can drink half of the total amount of water in a comparable amount, and the other half choose beverages other than coffee and tea. Some people think that beer can be diuretic and can prevent the occurrence of urinary stones, but in fact the wort of brewing beer contains calcium, oxalic acid, guanine nucleotide and purine nucleotide and other acidic substances, which are used in each other and can increase uric acid in human body and become an important cause of urinary stones. Because the human body in the late night and early morning urine calcium oxalate supersaturation is the highest, urinary inhibitory activity is the lowest, is the best time for stone formation, so in addition to the average distribution of daily water consumption, should choose to drink 1-2 glasses of water at midnight, can make the urine stone salt supersaturation is reduced, delaying the formation of stones or growth.