Kidney Stone Treatment

QWhy is a stent used to treat kidney stones?

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UCLA Health answered

If a kidney stone hasn’t passed, if you’re infected or you’re in horrible pain, the doctor may choose to insert a temporary stent into your kidney. A stent is a temporary means to bypass the obstruction and allow the kidney and any infection to drain. It works the same way a heart stent does, however a urinary stent is only temporary until the stone is removed.

QWhat medication can stop the pain from a kidney stone?

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UCLA Health answered

Doctors may prescribe anti-inflammatories (NSAID) to help with the pain. The over-the-counter anti-inflammatory that I use is ibuprofen, usually 600 milligrams. For severe colic we use a stronger, injectable NSAID called ketorolac. It’s a very potent anti-inflammatory and will stop the spasms that you’re having with a kidney stone almost within a few minutes.

QWhat can I expect after my kidney stone is removed?

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Jayram Krishnan, DO , answered on behalf of Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center

After a kidney stone is removed, your doctor will perform a series of tests that will help tailor your diet for future prevention, says Jayram Krishnan, DO, a urologist at Sunrise Hospital. In this video, he explains what each test analyzes.

Find out more about this DVD:

What Can I Expect after My Kidney Stone Is Removed?
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QWill I need to be in a hospital to have large kidney stones removed?

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National Kidney Foundation answered

The procedures used to remove large kidney stones -- percutaneous nephrolithotomy and percutaneous nephrolithotripsy -- require general anesthesia and a short hospital stay, usually two or three days. The recovery time takes a week or so. Depending on the position of the stone, the procedure itself takes about 20 to 45 minutes. The goal is to take out all of the stones so that none are left to pass through the urinary tract.

QWhat tools are used to remove a large kidney stone during surgery?

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UCLA Health answered

During PCNL to remove a large kidney stone, doctors can advance a larger camera directly into the kidney. Since the procedure provides direct access into the kidney, doctors can use larger instruments to remove larger stones. Most commonly used are an ultrasound that can grind the stone up and suction it out, or a pneumatic device that operates like a jackhammer to shatter hard stones along with a variety of graspers to remove the pieces through the sheath in your back. The surgeon will usually have all these devices at his or her disposal and will use whatever works best for the type of stone.

This procedure is often done in the hospital with an overnight stay because it is invasive.

QWhat medications are used to dissolve kidney stones?

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UCLA Health answered

Only uric acid stones can dissolve. For uric acid stones, doctors change the pH of the urine from acid to alkaline using citrate or bicarbonate, and the uric acid dissolves in the alkaline environment.

QWhat is lithotripsy?

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UCLA Health answered

Lithotripsy -- litho (stone) and tripsy (break) -- is any way of saying “to break a stone”. It can refer to any energy source or procedure that is used to break up a stone. The most common energy sources used today are acoustic shock waves (ESWL), laser energy, and pneumatic energy.

QWhat are treatment options for kidney stones?

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National Kidney Foundation answered

A kidney stone starts to hurt when it causes irritation or blockage. This can build rapidly to extreme pain. In most cases, kidney stones pass without causing damage—but usually not without causing a lot of pain.

Doctors usually first try to let kidney stones pass on their own. You may be asked to drink a lot of water to help pass the stone. For small stones, pain relievers may also be needed.

But if the stone is too large, blocks the flow of urine, or if there is a sign of infection, it may be removed with a non-invasive procedure or surgery. Shock-wave lithotripsy is a noninvasive procedure that uses high-energy sound waves to blast the stones into fragments that are then more easily passed out in the urine. In ureteroscopy, an endoscope is inserted through the ureter to retrieve or obliterate the stone.

Rarely, for very large or complicated stones, doctors will use percutaneous nephrolithotomy/nephrolithotripsy. This surgery involves entering the kidney through a small incision in the back to insert a miniature fiberoptic camera and other small instruments to either remove the stone or break it up.

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QHow much vitamin D is ok to take if I have kidney stones?

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