Kidney stones also known as urolithiasis in the kidney can be very painful. They usually form if there is too much calcium in the urine and blood. The first line of treatment is to attempt to remove the stone without surgical intervention. However, in some cases the stone may be too large or the patient may be in great pain. When this happens, kidney stone surgery may be the only option.
Is Kidney Stone Surgery Necessary?
Surgery is the last resort in the treatment to remove kidney stones. There are other types of treatment but if they do not work, then kidney stone surgery may be necessary. An expert urologist may recommend surgery for the following reasons if it is:
- Stones occur due to infection
- Stones are too large to pass
- Cannot be removed by other treatment procedures
- The renal calculi blocks urine flow
- The patient suffers from extreme pain and discomfort
- Bleeding
- The patient is obese
Kidney stone surgery has a very high success rate. However, it is performed on less than 5% of patients with this condition.
Different Sizes Require Different Treatments
The size of the kidney stones may differ. It may be the size of a grain of sand, or as big as a golf ball.
For smaller stones, men and women can pass them without discomfort. These kidney stones can be washed by the kidneys itself, besides standard water or other liquid.
The stones which are large, however, will require a little help to pass through the system. The stones that are too large to move themselves will require medication to relieve pain from the body. While these measurements of kidney stones could cause minor discomfort, much bigger stones could cause excruciating pain in the lower abdomen, the points of the groin and below the ribs.
These types of kidney stone require prescription medication under the supervision of your physician. There are some medications that could be given to help dissolve the stones in the kidneys. If the medications fail then one may require medications, surgery, lithotripsy and surgery of the parathyroid gland.
Lithotripsy is a process that utilizes waves to break up the large stone into smaller stones that may be passed on their own.
Surgery requires a small precise incision on the patient’s back just above the kidney region, so that the kidney stone can be removed by hand. This process normally takes place after a person has been through lithotripsy without results. The ureteroscope is really a thin tube that is guided through the urethra into the bladder.
The ureterscope has tools that capture or break the rock into small pieces so that they can move out from the urine. People who desire to get rid of kidney stone through surgery must choose the best hospital in India for the treatment of urinary stones.
Possible Risks of Surgery
Kidney stone surgery is very invasive. It is a delicate procedure wherein there are possibilities of many things going wrong. Some of the risks involved in this type of surgery include:
- Severe bleeding
- Infection
- Kidney damage
During surgery for kidney stone removal, anesthesia can adversely affect the lungs, heart, nervous system, liver, etc. Brain damage and even death may occur. It is recommended that you speak at length talk to your doctor about the negative effects of anesthesia prior to the surgery.
New Treatments
In the past, surgery was the only option to remove stones in the kidney. Patients had to deal with the painful procedure and extensive recovery time associated with kidney stone surgery. With new developments in the medical field and a better understanding of calcium deposits in the kidneys, a number of treatment options have become available and surgery is rarely necessary.
We now have less invasive medical procedures, such as laser lithotripsy and ureteroscopy. These treatments are less painful than kidney stone surgery and result in fewer complications. They also require minimal recovery time.
If you are suffering from calcium deposits or stones in your kidneys, you may want to know more about alternative removal treatments which are now replacing kidney stone surgery. This is the right time to get in touch with your doctor. Book an appointment today!!
