Kidney stones affect about one in ten Americans falling in all age brackets. Common symptoms include nausea, pain, fever, and vomiting. For the best experience and certified treatment, you should seek professional help to determine the extent of damage and possible remedy. Patients with kidney stones in Coconut Creek, FL, Pompano Beach, FL, and Delray Beach, FL, should seek immediate assistance at Broward Specialty Group.
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What are Kidney Stones?
Kidneys help you maintain a healthy body by cleansing your urine. Kidney stones are tiny heaps that accumulate in your kidney when urine is excessively concentrated. As a result, minute crystals of oxalate, calcium, and uric acid bind together to create kidney stones.
Kidney stones may be as tiny as sand grains or as huge as the golf ball. Smaller stones are expelled during urination, while more giant stones are likely to get stuck in the ureter.
Symptoms of Kidney Stones
Miniature kidney stones could be devoid of mild and severe symptoms, whereas bigger stones offer unpleasant symptoms like;
- Difficulty initiating urination
- Discomfort and pain when urinating
- More frequent urination
- Hematuria/ blood in the urine
- Fever
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Radiating pain that reaches your groin, belly, and genitalia
- Severe pain in your side or back
The symptoms highlighted above may also occur when battling other conditions like kidney cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and bladder cancer. Broward Specialty Group offers prompt diagnosis and treatment for kidney stones.
Diagnosis for Kidney Stones
The Broward Specialty Group reviews your symptoms, conducts physical exams, and examines your medical history to accurately diagnose kidney stones.
A comprehensive kidney stone diagnosis includes blood tests, urinalysis, x-rays, ultrasound, computed tomography, and intravenous pyelogram. Your provider may also recommend metabolic testing if your metabolic disorder is the likely cause of kidney stones.
Treatment for Kidney Stones
Broward Specialty Group offers treatment for kidney stones based on your test results and severity of symptoms. In the absence of symptoms, your provider could recommend further monitoring to determine the best treatment options.
For mild and severe symptoms, your treatment may include;
- Urethral stent. Your surgeon introduces a urethral stent within the ureter to hasten your healing and prevent swelling when undergoing kidney stone surgery.
- Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL). Your surgeon may use ESWL sound waves to hasten the kidney stones’ breakdown into small pieces that can pass through the ureter. The minimally invasive procedures use local anesthesia to improve your comfort.
- Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). For PCNL, your provider uses a small lower back puncture before introducing specialized wires and dilators to access the stone. Your doctor breaks down the stones under laser light for easier removal using a nephroscope.
- Ureteroscopy. A long ultra-slim camera is inserted to pinpoint the exact location and sizes of your stone. The stone is either broken up with laser lithotripsy or removed with a tiny basket. Your provider uses anesthetics to improve your comfort when eliminating the stones.
- Medication. Your provider considers specific symptoms and the extent of damage to find the most appropriate prescription to supplement other forms of therapy.
If you experience unpleasant symptoms of kidney stones, visit the nearest specialists to rule out the possibility of related conditions. Contact Broward Specialty Group to schedule an appointment for immediate and long-term relief from kidney stones.