Kidney stones-Treatment Alternatives

Kidney stones are the result of a buildup of dissolved minerals on the inner lining of the kidneys. Sometimes, kidney stones pass on their own without treatment. But if kidney stones are giving you pain and are stuck in your urinary tract, you may need to have them removed with surgery.

What are kidney stones?

Kidney stones are hard, lumpy deposits of salt, calcium or other minerals. There are several possible associations, including:

·         Dehydration

·         Diet (e.g. too much salt, High animal protein)

·         Obesity

·         Inflammatory bowel disease

·         Type 2diabetes

·         Congenital kidney defect that increases urinary calcium

·         High levels of certain chemicals in urine (e.g. excessive uric acid causing gout)

If you have kidney stones, you may experience pain in your back or sides, pain when urinating, an urgent need to urinate, or even blood in your urine. If a kidney stone is associated with infection, you may also experience a fever and chills.

It’s important to remember that anyone can develop a kidney stone at any time. If you suspect you have kidney stones, you should consult your doctor for a formal diagnosis.

What are the alternatives for Kidney stones?

1.    Observation –stones smaller than 5mm in diameter can pass by themselves but sometimes get “stuck” within the kidney; larger stones (greater than 7mm diameter) rarely pass.

2.    Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) – by “firing” shockwaves, generated under water, through your skin to break the stone into fragments which you then pass yourself. ESWL success depends on many factors like Density of stone and stone to skin distance and better to consult an urologist before proceeding for it.

3.    Flexible ureteroscopy – using a thin flexible telescope passed into your bladder, up through your ureter and into your kidney, where the stone is broken up using laser energy. This procedure avoids any external cut or incision in the body or kidneys with high success rate.

4.    Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL/PNL): This involves puncturing your kidney through the skin of your back with a needle (using X-ray or ultrasound to guide the puncture) and stretching up a track into the kidney through which a telescope can be passed. We may need to puncture the kidney at more than one site to reach all your stone(s).We then fragment the stone(s) in your kidney using a laser, lithoclast (mechanical fragmenter) or ultrasound probe.

Dr. Rahul Yadav is the one of best Endourologist/surgeon for treating kidney stones where it is indicated. Dr. Rahul Yadav is one of the experienced, dedicated and best urologists in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India and trained in RIRS/PCNL/Laser Stone surgery.