Understanding Kidney Stone And Its Treatment Options

The kidneys filter blood to remove waste and extra fluid which manifests itself as urine. Urine transfers to the bladder through twin narrow tubes (ureter). Once the bladder fills up, its contents are expelled from the body via another narrow tube (urethra). The kidneys and all its associated urinary tubing are designed to handle liquid only. Since all organs and systems of the human body have some tolerance for abuse, smaller stones (less than 5mm) will usually pass unimpeded and unnoticed. However bigger stones would almost certainly cause blockages somewhere from the kidney to the urethra, leading in turn to the simple and unremarkable act of passing urine becoming an exercise in extreme pain.

Symptoms of kidney disease include severe pain in the back-abdomen area (the dreaded renal-colic), blood in the urine (hematuria) and extreme pain while passing urine.

Why does it happen?

Like most diseases, genetics and environment conspire to create a situation where the risk of kidney stone disease becomes very high. Such is the stickiness of these underlying conditions, that more than 50% of patients will manifest a second stone within ten years of the first. Risk factors are obesity, high urine calcium levels, hyperparathyroidism, gout, not drinking enough fluids and intake of certain food/medications/supplements.

What is the treatment?

Prevention is better than cure: High-risk persons must drink lots of fluids (to produce more than 2 liters of urine in 24 hours) and avoid certain food and drink (phosphoric acid-rich cola drinks are to be avoided in particular). If this does not work then medication like thiazide diuretic and allopurinol may be prescribed by a qualified medical practitioner after the examination.

The cure since the stone has manifested itself: If a stone is causing no pain and all functions are normal, then there is no need for any treatment or kidney stone surgery. A misbehaving stone is usually managed with pain medication as a first step. Subsequently, attempts will be made to pass the stone (especially if it becomes larger) using medication (tamsulosin) or removing the stone using procedures like extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (application of high-intensity acoustic pulses to break up the stone), ureteroscopy (manual examination and removal of stones by use of an endoscope inserted via the urethra), Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (minimally invasive kidney stone surgery).

Three Ways to Treat Your Kidney Stones

Kidney stones or renal lithiasis are the hard deposits made up of minerals and salts that form inside the kidneys. The causes of this health condition are many and the same could affect any part of the urinary tract of your body. The stones in the kidneys are often formed when the urine becomes concentrated which later allows the minerals to crystallize and stick together with each other. Your urology doctor suggests a number of ways to treat the problem of kidney stones from the body.

The method of passing the kidney stones through urine is considered to be a painful affair; however, these stones do not cause any permanent damage when recognized at the earliest. Depending upon the gravity and situation of kidney stone, your urology doctor might suggest you follow a pain medication and to further drink enough water in order to pass the kidney stone.

In other cases, the following types of kidney stone surgeries are performed:

1.Lithotripsy:

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy makes the use of sound waves in order to break the large stones so that they could pass down easily from the ureters to the bladder. This procedure could be a little uncomfortable in nature and may require the administration of anaesthesia.

2. Tunnel surgery:

Under this form of kidney stone surgery, a surgeon removes the stones via a small incision on the back. This procedure is needed when the stone causes infection and obstruction or the same is damaging your kidneys. It is also used when the stone has grown very large and it becomes difficult to pass.
3. Ureteroscopy:

This form of kidney stone surgery is performed when the stone is stuck in the bladder or ureter. A small wire along with a camera is attached and inserted into the urethra and the same is passed into the bladder. The urology surgeon then makes the use of a small cage to remove the stone. These procedures to treat kidney stone have become very common in the present times.

Additional Read: Answering Your Question – What Are the Steps of Kidney Transplantation?