Kidney
Stones Removal Surgery – The Best Option Available for You
The urinary
system of human beings comprise of the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra.
The kidneys are bean shaped organs situated on each side of the spine.
The function of the kidneys is to eliminate the wastes from the blood
and the excess of water from the body in the form of urine.
The kidney maintains the balance of salts and other substances in the
human body. Small thin tubes called the ureters carry urine from the kidneys
to the bladder situated in the lower abdomen. Excretion of this urine
from the body is done by the urethra.
Kidney stones
are a mass that are in the form of crystals and break away from the urine.
The urine contains chemicals that hinder the formation of stones in the
kidney. However, in some cases these inhibitors do not work thus forming
stones. The urine often flushes out small stones present in them. The
larger ones stay in the kidney causing pain to the person.
There are different types of kidney stones. The most usual type of stones
is the calcium stones that are formed in combination with oxalate or phosphate.
The next type of kidney stones is the one that forms due to infection
in the urinary tract, which is called the infection stone or the struvite.
The next type is the uric acid stones and cystine stones that are not
too common.
People in the US have the incidence of kidney stones and the rate in increasing
manifold for the past thirty years. Men are more prone to kidney stones
than women are. A person is likely to get more stones when he develops
his first stone.
The doctor diagnoses these kidney stones through X-rays when the patient
complaints of blood in the urine, sharp pain in the kidney area or the
abdomen followed by nausea and vomiting. Silent stones that do not show
any signs and indications pass out of the body along with the urine.
Medications and plenty of water help to flush the stones out, but in case
the stones are big and cause infection then surgery is the best option.
Surgery is necessary when the kidney stones are large and blocks the flow
of urine, damages the kidney tissues, recurrent urinary tract infections
and when the person is obese.
These stones are removed in the traditional type of surgery that is the
open surgery where the doctor keeps ice on the kidney so that it is not
irritated during the surgery process. Once the stones are removed and
the blockage rectified, the kidney functions normally and a catheter helps
to drain the urine from the body during the healing process.
Lithotripsy is another form of surgery where shock waves like the Extra
corporeal shock waves Lithotripsy (ESWL) is performed. This is the minimal
invasive type surgery where the stone is broken into pieces with the help
of high-energy shock waves.
The stones are broken down into small bits so that they are easily flushed
out with the urine thus avoiding surgery. This is a type of laparoscopic
surgery which is done with minimum stay in the hospital, quick recovery
and fast healing.
