Monday, August 2, 2010

How Kidney Stones Are Treated

By Kenneth Burnett

Unless they feel pain and present of blood in their urine, people will not go to a doctor for a kidney stones checkup. This is because individuals tend to neglect the hardship of the medical condition and its potential complication once not diagnosed and cared for early.

Experts tell that the problem why people who are suffering from kidney stones is that they always tend to be complacent in keeping up with a healthy diet and regular exercise. They-deliberately or not deliberately-without realizing that they will suffer and spend more money once the condition gets worse over time.

The most common types of kidney stones among people are the calcium oxalate stones and uric acid stone, which are caused by too much calcium and sodium intake. These types of stones are not really that harmful unless they increase in size fast and block the ureter-the tube that is connected to the bladder and will cause urination problems.

Treatments and Medication Available

Today, there are so many types of treatments and medications available for people with kidney stones. These kind of intervention varies on the intensiveness of the condition. Experts say that people who have mild kidney stones can sort to medication, which are usually prescribed for certain types.

Medication is considered, as the initial form of treatment especially for symptomatic kidney stones which is common among patients. People showing early signs of kidney stones such as pain with varied intensity uses certain types of medication. The most common medication includes the Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs or NSAIDs like ibuprofen, which are effective in speeding up the passage of urethra stones along the ureter. These come in different brands, come in pill form and can be brought over the counter.

For extreme pains, medication can be through the vein to ensure that it will take effect faster. This process of medication is also ideal for people who have low tolerance in taking oral pills. If NSAIDs is not possible to be given directly, sufficient supply of fluid through the mouth is advised to be given to patients bearing all the pain of kidney stones to guarantee that there will be enough supply of fluid for the urine.

Although medicinal drugs can be dispensed at home, there will be the need that the patient be brought in to the hospital particularly if the pain does not sink to normal level. Once hospitalized, the patient will be asked to strain urine in order to cover the stone and collected for laboratory analysis. Here, the type of stone will be determined as well as its size and number through an imaging test. Here, if your kidney stones are smaller than 5 millimeters, you're safe to take medication. But if the stone is about 10 millimeters, you will need to undergo a procedure such as:

- Shock Wave Lithotripsy (SWL) which is the most common option of procedure because it can easily remove stones in the renal pelvis and upper ureter. This procedure requires x-ray or ultrasound to determine the exact location of the kidney stone and uses a high-energy shock wave to remove the stone by breaking it into pieces. However, this is not effective for hard, large, and complicated types of stones.

Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PNL), is an ideal uroradiologic procedure performed for complicated and highly large kidney stones to extract them from within the kidney by percutaneous surgery after the stones have been visualized radiological.

- Ureteroscopy is used for removing stones that are obstructed in the middle and lower portion of the person's ureter. A small telescopic tool goes through the urethra and bladder and into the ureter and kidney to get rid of the kidney stones.

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