Kidney Stones – Causes And Treatment Guide

Kidney stones also medically referred to as nephrolithiasis, renal calculi, or urolithiasis are unusual, hard, irregular-shaped deposits composed of salts and minerals which are formed inside the kidney. They can be of different types including calcium stones, uric acid stones, struvite stones, and cystine stones. Often, they are as small as sand grains but can be large as the size of a chickpea, marble, or even larger like a golf ball. Large kidney stones may be hard to be flushed from the kidney and need surgery while small ones can be passed through the urinary tract of the patient sometimes causing extreme pain as they exit. One can get the benefits of kidney stone surgery in Delhi with the best surgical treatments performed by the best urologist and kidney surgeon Dr. Niren Rao.

 
 Kidney stones can be present in any portion of the urinary tract- from the kidneys to the urinary bladder. They cause discomfort only when they start to move out from the kidney. When they get trapped inside the ureter- a narrow drainage tube from the kidney down to the bladder, they can exhibit symptoms like intense pain felt in the back and sides (below the ribs) that may radiate to the lower abdomen and groin due to swelling of kidney and spasm of ureters, obstructed urine flow, and bleeding from the walls of the urinary tract. Other signs and symptoms of kidney stones include-

• Foul-smelling or cloudy urine
• Red, brown, or pink-colored urine discharge
• Vomiting and nausea
• Urinating more often or releasing small concentrated urine
• Chills and fevers (if an infection is present).

Causes And Risk Factors

Kidney stones have no definite cause. It can form when the urine contains more crystal-forming substances like oxalate, calcium, phosphate, uric acid, and rarely cystine and xanthine- which cannot be diluted by fluids present in the urine. At the same time, an ideal environment is present for kidney stones to form because of the absence of some substances that prevent crystals from sticking together.

There are several risk factors responsible for the formation of kidney stones, including:

• Insufficient water intake
• Diet has phosphates or other substances like sodium, animal proteins, and some form of sugars that form the kidney stones
• A urinary tract blockage
• Family history of kidney stones
• Certain medical conditions that increase or decrease the levels of substances that cause kidney stones to form- such as obesity, diabetes, hypercalciuria, hypertension, kidney cysts, osteoporosis, parathyroid disease, cystic fibrosis and gout, inflammatory disease and chronic diarrhea, and some surgeries for weight loss or other intestine and stomach-related surgeries
• Some medications include diuretics, certain antibiotics, calcium-based antacids, and drugs to treat HIV infections and seizures

Treatment For Kidney Stone Removal

Before recommending the appropriate treatment for the kidney stones, Dr. Niren Rao, urologist in Delhi first reviews the patient medical history and asks for some diagnostic tests including blood tests, urine tests, and imaging tests like CT scan, X-ray, and ultrasound.

Small kidney stones may not need treatment and may leave the system while urinating. However, if Dr. Niren Rao finds that kidney stones can only be removed by medical intervention, then the options include medications and surgery.

• Medications- This includes prescribed medications for pain relief, management of nausea and vomiting, or relaxing ureter to pass the kidney stones.
• Surgery- Four types of surgeries are performed at Dr. Niren Rao’s Urology Clinic, the best kidney stone removal hospital in Delhi, and it can treat kidney stones, which are majorly minimally invasive involving entry through a natural body opening or making of a small incision, or fully invasive wherein large cut is made and are rarely performed.

1. Shockwave lithotripsy- The procedure involves the placing of the patient on a special type of surgical tub or table containing water through which high-energy shockwaves are passed to the kidney stones. The shockwaves fragment the kidney stones, hence making their exit from the body much easier.
2. Ureteroscopy- In this procedure, a ureteroscope is inserted into the urethra to reach the ureters via the urinary bladder to retrieve the kidney stones in a surgical basket or broken apart using a laser fitted at its end.
3. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy- This surgery is recommended when the kidney stones are in large numbers, heavy, or large-sized, this surgery is recommended. The operation is performed by first making a small cut in the back to insert a tube directly into the kidney followed by disintegration of the kidney stones by an ultrasound probe. The broken pieces are suctioned out. Lastly, a urethral stent is placed for a week.
4. Open stone surgery- This surgery involves making of large cut to access the kidney and the stones. Only 0.3–0.7% of cases go for such a surgery.

If you are experiencing any symptoms related to kidney stones and want to achieve an improved quality of life. Consult now with the best kidney stone surgery in Delhi, Dr. Niren Rao today!