What is the procedure to break a kidney stone?
For certain kidney stones — depending on size and location — your doctor may recommend a procedure called extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL). ESWL uses sound waves to create strong vibrations (shock waves) that break the stones into tiny pieces that can be passed in your urine.
How to diagnose kidney stones?
Ultrasound, a noninvasive test that is quick and easy to perform, is another imaging option to diagnose kidney stones. Analysis of passed stones. You may be asked to urinate through a strainer to catch stones that you pass. Lab analysis will reveal the makeup of your kidney stones.
What does a blood test show?
Urine testing. The 24-hour urine collection test may show that you're excreting too many stone-forming minerals or too few stone-preventing substances.
How to pass a stone?
You may be able to pass a small stone by: Drinking water. Drinking as much as 2 to 3 quarts (1.8 to 3.6 liters) a day will keep your urine dilute and may prevent stones from forming. Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, drink enough fluid — ideally mostly water — to produce clear or nearly clear urine.
Can kidney stones block your kidneys?
Small kidney stones that don't block your kidney or cause other problems can be treated by your family doctor. But if you have a large kidney stone and experience severe pain or kidney problems, your doctor may refer you to a doctor who treats problems in the urinary tract (urologist or nephrologist).
How to remove a small stone in the kidney?
To remove a smaller stone in your ureter or kidney, your doctor may pass a thin lighted tube (ureteroscope) equipped with a camera through your urethra and bladder to your ureter. Once the stone is located, special tools can snare the stone or break it into pieces that will pass in your urine.
What foods can you eat to reduce a sour taste?
These include rhubarb, beets, okra, spinach, Swiss chard, sweet potatoes, nuts, tea, chocolate, black pepper and soy products. Choose a diet low in salt and animal protein. Reduce the amount of salt you eat and choose nonanimal protein sources, such as legumes. Consider using a salt substitute, such as Mrs. Dash.
What is the procedure to remove kidney stones?
Other procedures that may be used to treat kidney stones include: Urethroscopy or ureteroscopy. Endoscopic procedures in which stones in the urethra or ureter may be removed with a device inserted through a short, flexible, lighted tube, called an endoscope. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (tunnel surgery).
What are the different types of kidney stones?
Types of kidney stones include: Calcium stones. Calcium, a normal part of a healthy diet used in bones and muscles, is normally flushed out with the rest of the urine. However, excess calcium not used by the body may combine with other waste products to form a stone. Struvite stones.
What is a lithodipsy?
Lithotripsy is a noninvasive (the skin is not pierced) procedure used to treat kidney stones that are too large to pass through the urinary tract. Lithotripsy treats kidney stones by sending focused ultrasonic energy or shock waves directly to the stone first located with fluoroscopy (a type of X-ray “movie”) or ultrasound ...
How small is a kidney stone?
Most kidney stones that develop are small enough to pass without intervention. However, in about 20 percent of cases, the stone is greater than 2 centimeters ( about one inch) and may require treatment. Most kidney stones are composed of calcium; however, there are other types of kidney stones that can develop.
When was lithotripsy first used?
The introduction of lithotripsy in the early 1980s revolutionized the treatment of patients with kidney stone disease. Patients who once required major surgery to remove their stones could be treated with lithotripsy, and not even require an incision.
How does the body take nutrients from food?
The body takes nutrients from food and converts them to energy. After the body has taken the food that it needs, waste products are left behind in the bowel and in the blood. The urinary system keeps chemicals, such as potassium and sodium, and water in balance, and removes a type of waste, called urea, from the blood.
Can kidney stones crystallize?
About kidney stones. When substances that are normally excreted through the kidneys remain in the urinary tract, they may crystallize and harden into a kidney stone. If the stones break free of the kidney, they can travel through, and get lodged in, the narrower passages of the urinary tract.
How to remove kidney stone?
A tube is placed through the incision into the kidney under x-ray guidance. A small telescope is then passed through the tube in order to visualize the stone, break it up and remove it from the body. If necessary a laser or other device called a lithotripter may be used to break up the stone before it can be removed.
What is PCNL in ureteroscopy?
PCNL is a technique used to remove certain stones in the kidney or upper ureter (the tube that drains urine from the kidney to the bladder) that are too large for other forms of stone treatment such as shock wave lithotripsy or ureteroscopy.
What are the risks of a syringe?
Potential Risks and Complications 1 Infection: All patients are treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics to decrease the chance of infection from occurring after surgery. If you develop any signs or symptoms of infection after the surgery (fever, drainage from incision, urinary frequency or discomfort, pain or anything that you may be concerned about) please contact us at once. 2 Tissue / Organ Injury: Although uncommon, possible injury to surrounding tissue/organs including bowel, vascular structures, spleen, liver, lung, pancreas and gallbladder could require further surgery. Loss of kidney function is rare but is a potential risk. Scar tissue may also form in the kidney or ureter requiring further surgery. 3 Conversion to open surgery: This surgical procedure may require conversion to the standard open operation if difficulty is encountered during this procedure. This could result in a larger standard open incision and possibly a longer recuperation period. 4 Failure to Remove the Stone: There is a possibility that the stone (s) may not be able to be removed completely, usually either due to the size or location of the stone (s). Additional treatment may be required.