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KIDNEY STONES - TREATMENT
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These “stones” occasionally pass through your kidneys and lodge in your ureter or bladder. The pain and discomfort that can be the result is often described as excruciating. That’s why prompt diagnosis and effective treatment of your kidney stone will be essential.
It’s important to remember, as you consider your treatment options, that most kidney stones will have formed because of excess amounts of calcium or uric acid in your urine. You may be able to pass your stone painlessly and successfully simply by following specific recommendations from your physician. For instance, just drinking between two and a half and three liters of water a day and staying physically active can be do the trick …and help you pass smaller kidney stones (five millimeters or less) out on your own or with a slight assist from pain medication (acetaminophen, codeine), proscribed to reduce your discomfort.
If your doctor has reason to suspect that you could develop subsequent stones – for reasons related to your medical profile or family medical history – you may be asked to catch your stone as it passes with a tea strainer or a filter paper so the stone can be analyzed – so as to guide any future course of treatment.
If There’s a Blockage, an Infection, or any Risk of Damage to Your Kidney, You’ll Need Treatment
In most cases your kidney stone will either pass on it’s own …or pass after it’s been coaxed along with the kind of dietary changes outlined above. If there is an infection or a blockage or any risk of kidney damage however, you will need direct treatment.
Urinary tract infections can be treated with antibiotics. Kidney stones that are causing blockages can be removed in a number or minimally invasive ways: For instance, your doctor may use a procedure known as ESWL or extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy that breaks large stones into small, passable, pieces. There are also a number of effective surgical techniques available to safely remove problem kidney stones. These will typically be performed via a keyhole surgical incision (percutaneous nephrolithotomy) or with a specialized instrument (a ureteroscope) that will be passed through your urethra and bladder to extract the stone.
Don’t Worry; There are Minimally Invasive Techniques That can be Used to Treat Kidney Stones
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| 1. ESWL (AKA Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy): ESWL is the probably the most common technique used to deal with kidney stones and can be effectively applied to stones measuring 1.5 centimeters or less. Your kidney stone will be located using X-ray imaging or an ultrasound scan and then a machine known as a lithotriptor will target shock waves at the stone to break it up into crystals small enough to pass comfortably in your urine. There may be some pain, so lithotripsy is typically performed under local anesthesia. |
2. Ureteroscopic Kidney Stone Removal: Typically performed on an outpatient basis under general anesthesia – ureteroscopic stone removal is used when a stone has lodged in the ureter. Your doctor or urologist will capture and remove the obstructing stone with a narrow, flexible instrument known as a ureteroscope– that can be passed up via the urethra and bladder – or break the stone up with shock waves or a laser beam delivered via a device attached to the ureteroscope.
3. PCNL (aka Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy): Can be employed to surgically remove large stones from your kidney. Your surgeon will make a tiny incision in your back then use a telescopic instrument known as a nephroscope to extract the stone or break it with a laser or shock waves.
Note: Percutaneous nephrolithotomy is typically performed on an outpatient basis under general anesthesia – which can have a temporarily debilitating affect on your coordination and motor skills.
Remember, You Can Take Steps to Prevent Kidney Stones
Unfortunately, if you’ve developed one kidney stone, you’re more likely to develop a second and third and so … that is unless you take active steps to prevent them. To do that it will be important to learn why that first kidney stone formed. In most cases, simple dietary changes – reducing animal proteins intake and increasing fluid intake – will suffice to prevent future stones. In certain cases, medication may be employed to manage the level of alkalinity or acidity in your urine.
Remember, rather than having to undergo any treatment, even a minimally invasive one, it is best to avoid developing kidney stones in the first place. Simply drinking more water (twelve full glasses a day), will go a long way toward flushing away the minerals and particles that form kidney stones in the first place.
You can learn more kidney stones and the , or here.
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Nabet G.Kasabian MD, FACS
103 East 80th Street (at Park Avenue)
New York, NY 10075
Tel: 212-535-0755
Fax: 212-744-4539
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