Kidney Stone Treatment
Kidney stones are one of the most common disorders of the urinary tract and the pain can be quite unbearable. Luckily, a variety of treatments exist for people suffering from this condition. The treatment chosen usually depends on the size and severity of the stones. Below are some of those treatment options.
Self Treating Kidney Stones
In many cases, kidney stones are usually passed through the urine after a few days. During this waiting phase, your doctor can administer painkillers to help you with the pain. Other than painkillers, you may need anti-emetic medication. This is a type of medication which fights sickness related symptoms like vomiting and nausea.
Self-treatment is an effective way of taking care of small kidney stones. However, if your doctor ascertains that you have substantially large stones, then there are other treatment options available to you.
Ureterorenoscopy for Kidney Stones
There are cases when the kidney stone may get stuck in the ureter. During such times, the best option available for you is an ureterorenoscopy. Retrograde intrarenal surgery as this procedure is also called involves passing a long thin urethroscope via the urethra and into the bladder. From the bladder, it is then guided into the ureter where the stone is stuck. Once your doctor gets there, he or she can choose to either pull out the stone gently or break it into smaller pieces so that it can easily be passed in urine. Sometimes, a plastic tube known as a stent can also be inserted into the ureter to help the stone drain into the bladder before it can be expelled from the body.
Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy& Kidney Stones
This is another common procedure that works well in scenarios where ureterorenoscopy may not be possible such as in patients who are obese. Unlike ureterorenoscopy where the instrument is passed into the urethra, here, the surgeon makes a small incision on your lower back area then inserts a nephoscope to pull out the stone. He or she can also choose to break it into smaller pieces using a laser so that it can then be passed into urine. This treatment option is effective for stones that are between 0.8-1.2in in diameter.
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy
This is the most common treatment option for large kidney stones. During this procedure, x-rays or ultrasound is used to pinpoint the location of the stone before a special machine that sends shock waves is used on the area to break the stone into smaller pieces. This technique may be a little uncomfortable which requires that painkillers are administered to the patient.
Surgery for Kidney Stones
Sometimes, it is best to opt for surgery in order to remove large kidney stones. Other than being used for very large stones, open surgery is recommended for cases where abnormal anatomy is detected.
Ordinary kidney stones can be treated with any of these techniques mentioned. However, if you have uric acid kidney stones, you need to drink a lot of water, typically three liters or more daily, to dissolve the stones.
As you can see, treating kidney stones is possible and can be achieved quite easily. All your doctor needs is to employ any of these techniques, and you will be out of pain in no time.