Posts Tagged ‘Kidney Stones’
Kidney Stones
Thursday, July 30th, 2009
DESCRIPTION
Crystallized particles that form in one or both kidneys and may travel into the ureters (the slender muscular tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder), kidney stones may be as tiny as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball, and one or several may be present. Large stones usually remain in the kidney without causing symptoms, although they may damage the kidney. Tiny stones pass easily through the ureter to the bladder and are voided in the urine. Stones small enough to enter the ureter but too big to pass easily cause excruciating pain, until they are voided, typically in a few days. If a stone lodges and blocks the flow of urine, it must be removed to prevent kidney damage. Fortunately, a variety of nonsurgical options now exist including chemical dissolution, and various forms of lithotripsy (the crushing of a stone with focused sound energy).