Dr. Girish M.s

Kidney or renal stones refer to the hard mineral deposit that accumulates along the path from the renal pelvis to the bladder. In normal conditions, toxins are filtered by kidneys from the blood and then passed into the urine. But if this waste does not dissolve fully, crystals are formed and these might get stuck in the ureter. Renal stones are common though and can be treated effectively. But you should first know how to detect it.

Signs and symptoms
If kidney stones are small, they might pass on with urine, and not cause any pain. But large stones can obstruct the flow of urine and lead to severe pain. Also remember that the location of the stone and the way it is travelling through your urinary tract can affect the symptoms you face. Sometimes, you might feel a sharp pain in your back or lower abdomen. In other cases, the pain may be constant or come and go, or the intensity might fluctuate.

Here are some other symptoms to watch out for

1. Pain during urination, cloudy urine, urine that smells different and the frequent urge to urinate
2. Blood due to kidney stones can make urine pink, red, or brown
3. Nausea, vomiting, fever or chills
4. Pain that increases in severity and stops you from standing, sitting or lying easily
5. The pain might start in the early morning or late night, since people urinate less then

Treatment
Though small kidney stones are often dissolved with medication, larger stones might create blockages and have to be removed in a hospital. The good news is that, now you don’t have to undergo any invasive surgery to get rid of renal stones. The new-age Holmium YAG laser technique can carry out this process with minimal cuts.
This laser sends intense and short infrared light pulses to break the stones into tiny pieces, which can then be passed out with urine. Patients also face lesser complications and get well quickly too.

More on the procedure

1. The laser beam passes through a 0.2mm wide wire, which can easily rotate to reach stones whether big or small. Any location in the kidneys, tubes or bladders also becomes easily accessible. Hence the wire can directly contact the stone, without harming any other tissue.
2. In laser lithotripsy, a very thin tube with a small camera is inserted into the patient’s urethra to guide the doctor towards the stone. Laser pulses, each lasting not even 0.0003 seconds are then targeted towards the stone.
3. Depending on the number and size of stones, this treatment takes 10 minutes to 1 hour and is conducted under general anesthesia. The patients recover fast and are discharged soon after.
4. The disintegrated pieces of the stones are also sent for analysis to see what is causing the problem and how the patient can prevent it in future.

Prevention
Kidney stones can be prevented by drinking lots of water and avoiding alcohol. If the stones are being caused by uric acid, ammonia, or calcium, then certain diet changes might be suggested. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Urologist.