Kidney stones are among the most painful and prevalent of urologic disorders. Kidney stones typically form when your urine becomes too concentrated causing crystals to separate from the urine and build up inside the kidneys. Stones may be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golfball. Some stones pass out of the body without the need for intervention, but others can cause severe pain if they become trapped in one of your ureters (the narrow tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder).
The urinary tract, or system, consists of the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs below the ribs in the back of the torso (area between ribs and hips). They are responsible for maintaining balance by removing extra water and wastes from the blood and converting to urine. The kidneys keep a stable balance of salts and other substances in the blood. They also produce hormones that build strong bones and help form red blood cells. Urine is carried by narrow muscular tubes, the ureters, from the kidneys to the bladder, a trainagular-shaped reservoir in the lower abdomen. Like a balloon, the bladder's walls stretch and expand to store urine and then flatten when urine is emptied through the urethra to outside the body.
Usually, the symptom of a kidney stone is extreme pain
that has been described as being worse than child labor pains. The
pain often begins suddenly as the stone moves in the urinary tract,
causing irritation and blockage. Typically, a person feels a
sharp, cramping pain in the back and in the side of the area of the
kidney or in the lower abdomen, which may spread to the groin.
Also, sometimes a person will complain of blood in the urine,
nausea and/or vomiting.
Occasionally stones do not produce any symptoms. But while
they may be "silent," they can be growing, even threatening
irreversible damage to kidney function. More commonly,
however, if a stone is not large enough to prompt major symptoms,
it still can trigger a dull ache that is often confued with muscle
or intestinal pain.
If the stone is too large to pass easily, pain continues as the
muscles in the wall of the tiny ureter try to squeeze the stone
along into the bladder. One may feel the need to urinate more
often or feel a burning sensation during urination. In a man,
pain may move down to the tip of the penis. If the stone is
close to the lower end of the ureter at the opening into the
bladder, a person will frequently feel like they have not fully
completed urination.
Stones as small as 2 mm have caused many symptoms while those as
large as a pea have quietly passed. If fever or chills
accompany any of these symptoms, then there may be an infection.
You should contact your urologist immediately.
When a urinary stone is suspected, an immediate evaluation is required. Blood is obtained to check on overall kidney function as well as to exclude signs of infection throughout the body. Urine is sent for a urinalysis and culture. A simple x-ray of the abdomen is sometimes enough to pinpoint a calcification in the area of the kidneys or ureters, thus identifying a likely obstructing stone. If the x-ray does not provide enough information to make a diagnosis, then an intravenous pyelogram (IVP) may be performed. A kidney blocked by a stone will not be able to excrete the dye from the IVP test as quickly and may appear enlarged. A final diagnostic exam that can be done is an abdominal/pelvic CT scan, which is very sensitive and can detect almost all types of urinary stones.
Urinary or Kidney stones are hardened mineral deposits that gather on the way from the renal pelvis in the kidney to the bladder. These originate as microscopic particles and over the course of time develop into stones. Medically this condition is known as nephrolithiasis, or renal stone disease. The kidneys filter waste products from the blood and adds them to the urine. When waste materials in the urine do not dissolve completely and the kidney is unable to evacuate them, crystals and kidney stones are likely to form. Some stones may pass out of the kidney or get lodged in the ureter (tube that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder), and cause severe pain that starts from the lower back and radiates to the side or groin.
Kidney stones can provoke a severe, sudden pain if they move along the ureter, the tube leading from the kidneys, and they can cause a lot of health problems if they block the flow of urine. The pain can often be accompanied by vomiting. If they move into the ureter (the tube from the kidney to the bladder) they cause intense pain and blood in the urine. A lodged stone can block the flow of urine and build a backpressure in the affected ureter and kidney. Increased pressure results in stretching and spasm, which cause severe pain.
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Small and smooth kidney stones may remain in the kidney or pass without causing pain (called "silent" stones). Stones that lodge in the ureter (tube that carries urine from the kidneys to the bladder) cause the urinary system to spasm and produce pain. The pain is unrelated to the size of the stone. Other symptoms of kidney stones may include the following:
Suffering from Kidney Stone? You are at the right place.
is India's most advanced and the largest urology institute.
We are certified by the Guinness Book of World Records for
Diagnosis of Kidney Stones
In addition to a complete medical history and physical examination, diagnostic procedures for kidney stones may include the following:
The best ways to prevent kidney stones are the following: