Urinary Stones Treatment and Prevention at Dr Rela Hospital

Urinary Stones are prevalent, and the incidence can be as high as 10 % of the population in hot countries like India. In Middle Eastern countries, up to 25% of the population can form stones. The most common stone in the urinary tract is made of calcium oxalate. Kidney Stones form mostly in the kidneys and occasionally in the bladder. They form as calcium oxalate crystals, then aggregate to form microliths, slowly enlarging to form larger stones. When they fill the entire kidney, they are called staghorn calculi.

Stones may not cause any problems when in the kidney, but they sometimes drop into the tubes draining urine from the kidney, called the ureter. Only then do they cause severe pain on one side of the lower back, which goes down to the groin area. This pain can be one of the most severe experiences.

Treatment of Stone in the Ureter

Small Kidney Stones may pass by themselves, but larger stones need treatment. At Dr Rela Hospital, we have a holmium laser that breaks down the stones to dust, enabling complete treatment with minimal injury to the ureter.

Treatment of Stones in the Kidney

Small stones in the kidney were previously treated only by a procedure called PCNL, which involves puncturing the kidney. This can have complications and can be painful. At Dr Rela Hospital, we now have a special camera called a Flexible ureteroscope, which enables us to use a laser to treat small stones in the kidney with minimal discomfort. The patient is discharged earlier from the hospital and also gets back to normal activity early.

For larger stones, in place of the conventional PCNL, at Dr Rela Hospital, we offer mini PCNL, whereby the hole made in the kidney to break the stone from the back is smaller. Hence, it leads to less pain and quicker recovery.

Prevention of Urinary Stones

About half of the patients who have had stones form stones again within 10 years’ time unless we find the reason and correct the cause. At Dr Rela Hospital, we have the facilities to do stone analysis to find the type of Kidney Stone and 24-hour urine analysis to find the cause of stone formation. This has been shown to reduce the formation of stones.

Frequently Asked Questions