Kidney Stone Treatment

Kidney Stones

Urinary stones cause significant amount of discomfort in patients.  These stones typically form in the kidneys, however some may form in the urinary bladder. A kidney stone is a hardened crystal formed from mineral and acid salts.  The urine normally dilutes and dissolves these substances, however when the composition of urine is unbalanced (i.e during dehydration)  crystallized stones can form.

There are several different types of kidney stones.  Some of the most common stones are made up of calcium, phosphate, uric acid and cystine.
Common symptoms patients may experience during stone attack: 

• Flank and back pain ( renal colic) that may radiate to the groin
• Bloody or cloudy urine
• Painful urination
• Nausea/ Vomiting
• Fever
• Malaise

Treatment
Urinary stones can be treated in several ways depending on their composition, location, and size.  Some stones can be treated with medications while others require surgical intervention and stone breaking (called lithotripsy). Examples of intervention include:

• Ureterosopy - a fine instrument is placed through the bladder into the ureter and kidney to locate and remove the stone. This is frequently done with a laser fiber that directly breaks the stone down into smaller fragments. 
• ESWL - extra-corporeal shock wave lithotripsy - noninvasive external way to break stones 
• PCNL - percutaneous nephrolithotomy - used for larger stones.
• Kidney surgery - performed infrequently for very large stones. 
• Bladder stones are treated similarly, however frequently  can be associated with enlarged prostate or bladder obstruction requiring a concomitant treatment.
  

During  your treatment  we will help you identify risk factors for kidney/ bladder stones.   By identifying risk factors  and  using proactive and preventative measures,  you can avoid being exposed to the unpleasant and debilitating symptoms of urinary stones.