There are urological disorders of all different kinds. Some are impacted by sexual health, others by lifestyle and others by mental health. All of these issues can and will be solved by your South Florida Urologist. However, one of the most painful disorders of all is Stone Disease. Stone disease consists of a deposit of minerals within the kidney or bladder that solidified. This solidified concentrated mineral deposit then has to be removed either by passing it through the ureter or by procedures designed to remove kidney stones.
What are Signs and Symptoms of Kidney Stones?
Although when passing kidney stones present an unfathomable amount of pain, they may go unnoticed within the kidneys. These stones will remain dormant until they begin their transfer through the urinary tract. The first biggest sign of a kidney stone would be sudden intense, unrelenting and contraction-like pain in the back and side. This pain may also eventually spread to the lower abdomen and groin. This is your main symptom of stone disease. However, if you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms as well, its best to contact your South Florida Urologist as soon as possible.
Nausea and Vomiting
Blood in the Urine
Painful or Frequent Urination
Foul-Smelling or Cloudy Urine
Fever
Who is Most Likely to Have Kidney Stones?
All human beings have the ability to contract kidney stones. The following are also those who have an increased risk of contracting kidney stones:
Men
Overweight or Obese Individuals
Individuals with a Family or Personal History of Kidney Stones
Individuals that are Dehydrated
Individuals that Maintain a Diet High in Protein, Sodium and Sugar
Individuals with Certain Bowel Conditions, such as Chronic Diarrhea or Crohn’s Disease
Individuals with Other Medical Conditions Including Renal Tubular Acidosis, Cystinuria, Hyperparathyroidism, Certain Medications and Urinary Tract Infections
If you or a loved one is concerned that they may have Kidney stones or are presenting signs of the beginning symptoms of kidney stones, then contact your South Florida Urologist today!
Lithotripsy is a medical procedure involved in removing kidney / bladder stones. There are multiple different kinds of lithotripsy. Your main three types are going to be Laser Lithotripsy, Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy or Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy. All of these methods are doctor-certified procedures that will return you to your normal life without kidney stones. The goal of most lithotripsy procedures, is to break down the kidney stones to a small enough level to either have them removed or small enough to pass down through the urinary tract and exit the body.
What are Kidney Stones?
Kidney stones are solid pieces of material that form when substances normally found in the urine, such as minerals and acid salts, become concentrated and crystallized. Kidney stones may range in size from being small enough to just normally pass through the urinary tract or large enough to about the size of the golf ball. If a stone hasn’t progressed to abnormal sizes, then it will be perfectly fine in travelling through the ureter and out of the body. However, if these stones become larger, they may cause intense and serious pain as well as blood within the urine.
Types of Lithotripsy
As was stated earlier, there are 3 main types of lithotripsy; Laser Lithotripsy, Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy and Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy. Here we’ll go into a bit about each procedure.
Laser Lithotripsy – Removal of kidney stones by way of a ureteroscope. This device possesses a camera and a tube for a specific fiber. The fiber releases a laser which then breaks down the kidney stone(s). They may either be removed with the ureteroscope or released through urine.
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy – Removal of kidney stones by use of shock waves from outside of the body. These shock waves will specifically target with the kidney stones. Once they are broken down, they will then pass through the urinary tract.
Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy– Procedure for kidney stones too large for the prior two options. This is conducted by making incisions through the lower back. A nephroscope, similar to a ureteroscope, is placed through the incisions to either remove the kidney stones entirely or break them down. If the stones are first broken down, then this procedure is referred to as a Percutaneous Nephrolithotripsy.
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