Kidney Stones Treatment Fact :

Around 5% of the world population goes through kidney stone treatment in their lifetime.

It is not a serious condition if detected early, as there are numerous natural kidney stone removal remedies suggested by the doctors and physicians. But if it is diagnosed late, the affected has to go through kidney stone operation.

About Kidney Stone :

Kidney stones are aggregation of chemical substances dissolved in urine. When the concentration level of these substances reaches a particular point, they crystallize into a permanent form and form stones.

The most common type of stone contains calcium in combination with either oxalate or phosphate.

Kidney stones vary in size; sometimes, these are too small to be felt or noticed in the urinary tract. Otherwise, these can be as large as a golf ball.

When the stone obstructs the urine flow, the ureter dilates and stretches causing muscle spasms giving rise to immense gripping pain (renal colic); felt in flank, lower abdomen, groin or leg of affected side.

Kidney Stones Types :

It’s not necessary for all the kidney stones to be made up of the same types of crystals.

Given below are the four primary types of kidney stones.

 Calcium :

Calcium stones are the most prominent types of kidney stones. These are generally made up of calcium oxalate. However, on some occasions, calcium phosphate and maleate are also present. It is advised to eat foods with less oxalate content to minimize the threat of these types of stones.

Foods with greater oxalate content include all types of chips or fries, spinach, chocolates, etc. Spinach and beets too contain oxalate in large amounts. Interestingly, though certain kidney stones are made up of calcium, having adequate calcium in the diet helps in the prevention of stone formation. Infact, cutting on sodium in your diet helps in the prevention of calcium stones.

Kidney Stones Causes :

 

The primary cause behind kidney stone is the lesser content of water in the body.

In short, people who drink less water on a daily basis have major threats of getting kidney stones. It is thus recommended that you should drink at least 2-3 litres of water in a day. 

A kidney stone can be a result of certain diseases like Crohn’s disease, Renal Tubular Acidosis, Dent’s disease etc. People undergoing chemotherapy also have possibilities of suffering from kidney stones.

• When the body lacks an adequate amount of water that is required for the dilution of uric acid, the urine gets acidic.
• When urine gets excessively acidic, it leads to the formation of kidney stones.

Kidney Stones Signs and Symptoms :

In general, kidney stones show no symptoms until they move into the Ureter. Once these stones enter the Ureter, the following symptoms are usually seen.

• Sharp pain in the groin region and side areas
• Signs of blood while passing  urine (hematuria)
• Frequent nausea and vomiting
• Pus observed in urine
• Passing less amount of urine
• Burning and itching sensation when  passing urine
• The frequent feeling of urination
• Sometimes, the occurrence of fever/chills
   

A word about Kidney stone pain :

During the formation stage, Kidney stones often don’t cause any pain. However, as these get into crystalline structure, they start giving pain. It also causes excruciating pain when it starts moving down the body on its own.

Kidney Stones Diagnosis and Testing :

• Blood Tests : These tests inform about the presence of too much calcium or uric acid in your blood. It helps doctors to check the health of your kidney.
• Urine Testing : Doctor may advise you to have two urine collections for two consecutive days to assess the amount of stone forming minerals present in your urine. 
• Imaging : Imaging tests may include simple abdominal X-rays, CT Scan and ultrasound to reveal the presence of kidney stones in your urinary tract. One advanced test is intravenous urography where a dye is injected into an arm vein and x-rays or CT images are taken as dye travels through kidney and bladder. 
• Analyzing passed Kidney Stones : You will pass urine through a strainer so kidney stones passing  through urine can be collected and analyzed in a lab.

Kidney Stones Treatment Overview :

Management of kidney stone depends upon the size, exact location, consistency of stone; and the condition of patient. It ranges from medicinal therapy to surgery. Stone size is the utmost crucial factor in determining the modality. 

Surgery is done to prevent the kidney function from deteriorating and prevent the incidence of disease. 

Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery (RIRS) for Kidney Stone

The advent of flexible ureteroscope has made intrarenal lithotripsy possible. Ureterorenoscopy using flexible ureteroscope is called Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery (RIRS). It can be easily used for stones anywhere in the tract. It is specially suited for patients where ESWL cannot be performed or has failed. With these flexible scopes, virtually any area of the urinary system can be visualized by the surgeon. 

Its advantages include: no incision on the body, short hospital stay & early recovery. The procedure is expensive as the equipment is costly, even doctors need special training to perform it. It is a major leap in endourology in managing urinary stones and other problems in kidney.

This minimally invasive urology procedure is generally used for cases that are otherwise difficult to treat, such as :

•      Failed attempts at treatment
•      Kidney stones too large for treatment by lithotripsy
•      Strictures in the kidney
•      Tumours in the kidney
•      Kidney stones among children
•      Bleeding disorders in the kidneys
•      Grossly obese patients
   

Ureterorenoscopic (URS) Lithotripsy with Holmium Laser Treatment for Kidney Stone

In those instances when the stone is stuck within the bladder or Ureter, doctors use a device called Ureteroscope for its removal. It is a non-invasive method as there is no incision required. A rigid ureteroscope along with laser fiber is inserted through the Urethra into the Bladder and Ureter. The laser fiber is used to transmit the Holmium energy that breaks up the kidney stone and the surgeon removes the broken pieces through the urethra. Smaller pieces pass through urination.  Sometimes, doctors insert a tube known as a stent between bladder and kidney to make it easy to pass kidney stones and improve healing.
 

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) for Kidney Stone

Lithotripsy can be understood as the extracorporeal shock waves (electromagnetic), which are the sound waves, mostly used for breaking down the stones into smaller particles, and the smaller particles smoothly pass into the bladder. It’s a complex process and often requires anesthesia. The person may feel strain around abdomen region and back. There may be chances of bleeding around the kidney regions as well.
 

Percutaneous Nephrostolithotomy (PCNL) Procedure for Kidney Stone

This method involves the removal of a stone through a tiny incision in the concerned person’s back. These methods are recommended when:

•      The stone leads to hindrance causing infection or damages within the kidney.
•      When the stone is too big to pass smoothly A person suffers from extreme pain.

 

Read about :  Kidney Stone Treatment During Pregnancy

Certain Home Remedies for Kidney Stone Treatment :

•      Drink more water - At the preliminary stage, it can get dissolved through certain medications as well. Extremely small sized kidneys get naturally removed through urine if you drink more water.
•      Avoid Oxalate - rich foods–Do not eat oxalate-rich foods such as certain fruits and vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, and even chocolate and tea.
•      Lemon Juice - Lemon juice can be effective if the stone is formed due to Citrate issues. You can add lemon juice to your water as many times as you want. Citrate in lemon prevents the formation of kidney stones and can even help dissolve small stones.
•      Basil Juice - Basil juice can also be effective in the treatment of these issues. Basil juice contains acetic acid that helps break and dissolve kidney stones.
•      Apple Cider Vinegar - It contains acetic acid that helps to dissolve kidney stones. Mix a teaspoon this product in a glass of water and drink throughout the day.
•      Pomegranate Juice - It is a rich source of antioxidants and is good for overall health of kidneys as it flushes out kidney stones and other toxins from your body.

Read about :   3-4 Litres of Water Consumption Everyday May Help Remove Your Kidney Stone

Kidney Stones Risk factors :

Men are often more prone to kidney stones as compared to women. Heredity also plays as a risk factor if someone in the family had such an issue.

Apart from this, other mild risk factors include things such as:

•      Obesity, eating foods with higher protein content regularly eating foods with higher calories excessive salt intake, etc. 
•      People who have gone through Gastric bypass surgery, chemotherapies, with hyper parathyroid symptoms, etc. also hold risks of kidney stones.
•      People who take medicines like antacids with higher calcium content can have such problems.
•      Another health issue that can increase the chances of getting kidney stones is problems in bowel movements, or specifically, the inflammatory bowel diseases.
   

Read about : 8 Ways to Reduce Risk of Kidney Stones

Kidney Stones Prevention :

Formation of kidney stones can be prevented with proper diet, plenty of water and the right medication.

Here are the ways to lower the chance of having kidney stones. 

•      Stay hydrated
•      Cut on  foods having calcium oxalate such as grapefruit, cranberry juice, spinach, potatoes, soybean etc
•      Limit salt intake
•      Maintaining a healthy body weight
•      Avoid alcohol 
•      Cut on  caffeine intakes such as foods like chocolate, teas, certain sodas, and energy drinks 
•      Avoid sugary drinks
•      Get the right amount of dietary calcium such as foods like some cereals, orange juice, tofu, soy sauce etc. 
•      Increase the intake of foods having  citric acidic such as lemon juice, orange juice, lemonade, melon, mango juice
•      Control  the consumption of high-acid foods
•      Taking supplements and vitamins
•      Taking different natural vitamins can help prevent the formation of kidney stones
   

 Read  about : Kidney Stone Prevention Steps 

Kidney Stone Patients Diet :

A Healthy kidney stone diet Includes: 

•      Drinking at least 10-12 glasses of water
•      Limit salt intake, high added sugars, and products containing high fructose corn syrup
•      Cut on animal protein such as red meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood
•      Drink citrus juices
•      Eat calcium-rich food 
•      Avoid food rich in oxalates and phosphates
   

      Read about : Drinking Less Water During Winters Can Cause Kidney Stones

Kidney Stone Patients FAQ to Ask Doctor :

Can Kidney Stones be treated without Surgery?

Yes, Most urinary / kidney stones will be treated without surgery. 90% of kidney stones go themselves within 3 to 6 weeks. during this scenario, the only treatment needed is pain relief. However, if pain is severe than hospital admission required and  pain-relieving medication will be given to the patient. Small stones can pass through urine by :

Drinking Enough Water / Fluid: The key to flush stones through urine is to drink at least 2-3 liters water.
Medications: Doctors may prescribe certain pain relievers to ease the pain and other medications to break and dissolve stones. Antibiotics are advised to counter infections.

How can kidney stones be a problem?

Kidney stone, first of all, can cause unbearable pain. It needs to be treated as soon as possible. Delaying treatments may lead to kidney failure or may even be a cause of cancer.

What are the first signs of kidney stones?

Among the most common signs of  having kidney stones include excruciating pain in the groin and its sides, passing less amount of urine than usual, burning sensation while passing urine, nausea, vomiting, the presence of pus  and blood in urine.

What is the main cause of kidney stone?

Are Kidney Stones serious?

Can I die from a kidney stone?

What is the prevention of kidney stone?

What is the risk factor of kidney stone?

Why Kidney Stones are Considered Dangerous?

What is the diet of kidney stone patients?

When to see a doctor for kidney stones?

•      Severe pain
•      Blood in urine
•      A strong urge to urinate
•      Difficulty passing urine
•      A burning sensation while urinating
•      Nausea/Vomiting
•      Fever/Chills

How do doctors remove my kidney stone at RG Hospital?

The first step is the diagnosis which involves a series of blood tests, Urinalysis, KFT, ultrasound, abdominal X-ray etc.