Kidney Stones

Kidney Stones

If you've every had kidney stones, you know how painful they can be. Here's Dr. Firstname M. Lastname, a Urologist with Medical Center/Hospital, to tell us more.

What exactly are kidney stones?

A kidney stone can develop when certain chemicals in your urine form crystals that stick together. A kidney stone can be as tiny as a grain of sand or as big as a golf ball. The stones form in your kidneys, but they can travel to your ureter or bladder.

How do you know if you have kidney stones?

You'll feel a severe pain in your side or back, usually just under the rib cage. Nausea and vomiting are other common symptoms as well as blood in the urine.

What causes kidney stones to form?

Thre are several factors: urinary tract infections, not drinking enough fluids, diet and blockage of the urinary tract are some of the more common.

So what's the treatment?

A small stone can often be passed through the body by drinking lots of fluids. Larger stones may require endoscopic surgery, a minimally invasive same-day surgical procedure. Shock wave lithotripsy is used to fragment stones in the kidney and upper ureter. Large stones in the kidney require percutaneous nephrolithotomy – surgical removal of the stones with a scope passed through a small incision.