Overview
Kidney stones are formed when minerals and salts pile up inside your kidneys and solidify. Kidney stones can affect the kidneys, bladder, and ureters, among other parts of the urinary tract. Some stones remain in the kidneys and are unaffected. Kidney stone symptoms usually appear when the stone travels around in your kidney or passes through your ureter.
Kidney stones can be uncomfortable to pass, but they normally don’t have any long-term consequences if they’re treated appropriately. Stones can be passed in some cases by taking medicine and drinking plenty of water. If you have a higher chance of getting kidney stones, your doctor may advise you to take prophylactic measures.
With your best interests in mind, our urologists at Urology Clinics of North Texas will create a specific treatment plan for your kidney stones.
Causes
Kidney stones have no known cause, however they are more prone to form due to a number of risk factors. Kidney stones are frequently associated with the following risk factors:
- Over 50-year-old white men with a family history of kidney stones
- Dehydration
- Protein-, sodium-, and sugar-rich diets
- Obesity
- Intestinal disorders
- Hyperparathyroidism, for example, is a medical ailment.
Diagnosis
Intermittent pain in the lower back, usually on the left or right side, is the most prevalent sign of kidney stones. Other kidney stone symptoms include:
- Blood in the urine
- Stomach ache
- Fever and chills
- Foul smelling or cloudy urine
- Nausea or vomiting
Taking a urine sample is the initial step in diagnosing kidney stones. Kidney stones are indicated by blood or mineral deposits in the urine. Blood tests can also reveal minerals in your blood, which can help doctors monitor your kidney health. If blood and urine tests reveal the presence of kidney stones, imaging studies to detect the stones may be performed. Large kidney stones can be seen on abdominal x-rays, while extremely small stones can be seen on CT scans.
Treatment
Following the completion of diagnostic tests, your doctor will discuss treatment options for kidney stones with you. The majority of minor kidney stones do not necessitate invasive treatment. In this case, passing the stone may be as simple as drinking plenty of water, taking pain medicines, and occasionally taking a recommended alpha blocker to relax your ureter muscles.
If you can’t clear your kidney stones, you may need additional treatment. Kidney stones can be treated using a variety of methods, including:
- Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) – This procedure uses sound waves to create vibrations to break up the stones, making them small enough to pass.
- Utereroscopy – This procedure passes a thin lighted scope with a camera into your bladder and uses tools to break the stones into pieces that you can pass in your urine.
- Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy – This procedure is the surgical removal of the stone using small scopes through a small incision in your back.
Following the passage of stones, an investigation may be performed to understand what is producing the stones and how to avoid additional from forming. To control the minerals in your urine that cause kidney stones, you may be prescribed additional drugs. For the prevention of reoccurring kidney stones, dietary adjustments are also recommended.