What are urinary stones? Causes, complications and treatment

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Vo Thien Ngon - Department of General Surgery - Vinmec Da Nang International General Hospital

Urinary stone is a common disease for Vietnamese people, but not everyone understands all about this disease. What are urinary stones? How to detect and treat the disease? Let's find out in the article below.

The human urinary system consists of two kidneys, two ureters on either side, the bladder and finally the urethra. When stones appear in any position of the urinary system, it means that there is a urinary stone. Thus, urinary stones include kidney stones, ureteral stones, bladder stones and urethral stones.

Urinary stones have many causes. Stone formation is usually caused by dissolved mineral salts (calcium, oxalate, urate...) in the urine. When there are pathophysiological disorders that combine favorable factors, such as decreased urine flow, urinary tract infections, changes in urine pH, urinary tract malformations, genetic factors, etc. then the dissolved mineral salts will crystallize, forming a small nucleus, then growing into a urinary stone.

From the cause of urinary stones, it can be seen that people who are prone to urolithiasis include:
People with congenital abnormalities of the urinary tract. A family member has a urinary tract infection. I myself have undergone urological intervention. Having frequent urinary tract infections. People drink less water, especially the elderly. A person lying motionless for a long time. People with metabolic disorders (chronic metabolic acidosis, hypercalciuria,...). Are taking certain medications. Workers in a hot environment. People who have a habit of constantly holding urine.

Depending on the location where the stone forms, there are different manifestations, from no symptoms (the patient accidentally discovered stones when going to the doctor) to very aggressive symptoms. In general, patients often have the following symptoms:
Pain: is the most common manifestation, usually in the lumbar region. The pain may be a persistent dull ache or a sudden, severe attack that radiates anteriorly and down the inguinal region. The pain can occur spontaneously, but usually after strenuous exercise, the pain lasts a few minutes, may go away on its own or requires the support of medication. Abnormalities in urination: the patient may have dysuria (dysuria at the end of the urinary tract or the entire urinary tract), intermittent urination (suddenly stopping urination, changing positions to continue urinating), difficulty, complete urinary retention, cloudy urine, hematuria (the urine may be red-pink or only red blood cells can be detected in the urine by testing). The patient may have a fever due to the infection.

Urinary stones cause many dangerous complications:
Stones move, rub against the lining of the urinary tract causing edema and bleeding, which is a favorable condition for bacteria to invade, causing urinary tract infections. The stone is stuck in a narrow position, causing acute or chronic urinary retention. The patient's kidney function may be impaired, causing the patient to develop acute or chronic renal failure.

Urinary stones are completely treatable, most effective when the stones are small. If the stone is large, causing many complications, the treatment will become difficult, complicated, expensive, greatly affecting the final outcome as well as the patient's quality of life. The treatment methods for urolithiasis include medical treatment, surgical intervention, open surgery or laparoscopic surgery:
Medical treatment can be considered for small stones < 5mm in size, not causing any cause. symptoms. Today, modern medicine has made great strides, the open surgery method with many risks is less and less applied. Instead, there are new, safer, less invasive techniques such as: standard endoscopic percutaneous nephrolithiasis (Standard PCNL), endoscopic minimal percutaneous nephrolithiasis (Mini PCNL), endoscopic urology Ureteroscopy and extracorporeal lithotripsy (ESWL).

To prevent urinary stones, each person should follow a healthy lifestyle, healthy diet combined with reasonable exercise:
Drink enough water every day Keep good hygiene, avoid urinary infections Avoid fasting habits Little Cham is active and practicing sports. Early detection and prompt treatment is always the best way to cure any disease. Understanding the needs of health protection and care, Vinmec International General Hospital has deployed a package of urological examination and screening to help customers detect abnormalities of the urinary system early to have a treatment plan. Timely treatment for optimal results.