Kidney Stones
Urine contains dissolved minerals and salts. When your urine has high levels of these minerals and salts, you can form stones. Kidney stones can start small, but they can grow in size, filling the inner hollow structures of the kidney.
Kidney Stones symptoms
A kidney stone can sometimes be asymptomatic until it moves around the kidney or comes into the ureters. In some cases, the stone can lodge in the ureters and block the flow of urine. This will cause hydronephrosis, which is the swelling of the kidneys. By this stage, the kidney stone can cause intense pain in the back or side. This feeling often moves to the lower abdomen or groin. The pain starts suddenly and comes in waves. Other symptoms of a kidney stone include the feeling of intense need to urinate, urinating more often or a burning feeling during urination, fever, chills, nausea and vomiting, or blood in the urine.
Causes of KIDNEY stones
A major risk factor for kidney stones is constant low urine volume. Low urine volume may come from dehydration from hard exercise, hot weather, or not drinking enough fluids. Diet can also affect the chance of forming stones, such as high calcium, salt, and animal protein intake. Other causes for stone formation include medications, vitamin supplements, bowel conditions, obesity, and a family history of stones.
Kidney Stones diagnosis
"Silent" kidney stones, those that cause no symptoms, are often found when an X-ray is taken during a health screening. Stones are sometimes diagnosed when sudden pain occurs while the stone is passing, and medical attention is needed.
When a person has blood in the urine (haematuria) or sudden abdominal pain, tests like an ultrasound or a CT scan may diagnose a stone. These imaging tests tell how big the stone is and where it is located.
Urine contains dissolved minerals and salts. When your urine has high levels of these minerals and salts, you can form stones. Kidney stones can start small, but they can grow in size, filling the inner hollow structures of the kidney.
Kidney Stones symptoms
A kidney stone can sometimes be asymptomatic until it moves around the kidney or comes into the ureters. In some cases, the stone can lodge in the ureters and block the flow of urine. This will cause hydronephrosis, which is the swelling of the kidneys. By this stage, the kidney stone can cause intense pain in the back or side. This feeling often moves to the lower abdomen or groin. The pain starts suddenly and comes in waves. Other symptoms of a kidney stone include the feeling of intense need to urinate, urinating more often or a burning feeling during urination, fever, chills, nausea and vomiting, or blood in the urine.
Causes of KIDNEY stones
A major risk factor for kidney stones is constant low urine volume. Low urine volume may come from dehydration from hard exercise, hot weather, or not drinking enough fluids. Diet can also affect the chance of forming stones, such as high calcium, salt, and animal protein intake. Other causes for stone formation include medications, vitamin supplements, bowel conditions, obesity, and a family history of stones.
Kidney Stones diagnosis
"Silent" kidney stones, those that cause no symptoms, are often found when an X-ray is taken during a health screening. Stones are sometimes diagnosed when sudden pain occurs while the stone is passing, and medical attention is needed.
When a person has blood in the urine (haematuria) or sudden abdominal pain, tests like an ultrasound or a CT scan may diagnose a stone. These imaging tests tell how big the stone is and where it is located.
Kidney Stones Treatment Options
Small kidney stones often pass from the body on their own without any urology intervention, aside from optional pain management. Medications are also available to help relax the ureters and allow a stone to pass more quickly.
If the kidney stone is causing a lot of pain and discomfort, there are a few treatment options:
- Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) uses sound waves to create strong vibrations (shock waves) that break the stones into smaller fragments that can be passed in your urine over a few weeks. With SWL, you may go home on the same day as the procedure and can resume normal activities in two to three days. You may also be given a strainer to collect the stone pieces as they pass. These pieces will be sent to the lab to be tested.
- Ureteroscopy & Laser Lithotripsy (URS & LL) involves passing a small telescope, called a ureteroscope, into the bladder, up the ureter and into the kidney. The ureteroscope allows the urologist to see the stone without making an incision. Once the stone is located, a laser beam will break it into pieces that will then be passed in your urine. A stent is inserted in the ureter to relieve swelling and help healing. This is the most common endoscopic procedure performed to treat kidney stones, providing patients with quick relief of symptoms. The URS is a day procedure, and the stent is removed between four to 10 days later.
-
Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is the best treatment for large kidney stones. General anaesthesia is needed to do a PCNL. PCNL involves making a half-inch incision in the back or side, just large enough to allow a rigid telescope (nephroscope) to be passed into the hollow centre part of the kidney where the stone is located. An instrument passed through the nephroscope breaks up the stone and suctions out the pieces. The ability to suction pieces makes PCNL the best treatment choice for large stones.
After the PCNL, a tube is usually left in the kidney to drain urine into a bag outside of the body. The tube is left in overnight or for a few days. An overnight hospital stay may be needed for this procedure. You can resume normal activities after one to two weeks post-surgery. - Open, laparoscopic or robotic surgery will only be used if all other less invasive procedures fail.
Kidney Stones Prevention
There are dietary changes that you can make to stop stones from continuing to form, such as by drinking enough fluids each day, reducing the amount of salt in your diet, consuming the recommended amount of calcium, and eating plenty of fruits and vegetables.
