I have some stones in my kidney. Do I need to get them removed by surgery? Why I have the kidney stones?

Don't panic Matx, kidney stones are very common and your Doctor will advise you on what the best course of action is.

You normally have two kidneys which clean your blood, and filter out water and waste products to make urine.

Small, solid masses which are called kidney stones may be formed when salts or minerals, normally found in urine, become solid crystal masses inside the kidney. These crystals are normally very small and pass harmlessly out of your body without you noticing. However, problems come when they build up inside your kidney and form much larger stones.

If a stone becomes large enough, it may move out of your kidney and progress through the ureter - the tube that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder. If a A kidney stone becomes stuck in ant part of the ureter it causes pain, infection and in the worst case scenario, kidney damage.

Sorry to say Matx that men are four times more likely to get kidney stones than women, previously having had a kidney stone means a 50 percent chance of developing another one within five years. Your treatment will depend on the type and cause of your kidney stone. Most stones can be treated without surgery. If you drink a lot of water (two and a half to three litres per day) and stay physically active, this is often enough to remove stones smaller than about 5mm from your body. Your GP may then prescribe medicines to reduce the pain.

Your GP may ask you to catch the kidney stone by passing your urine through filter paper or a tea strainer. The stone can then be analysed to find out what type it is, to help guide your treatment.

If you have a kidney stone that hasn't passed out of the body within one to two months, it's unlikely to pass without treatment.

Infections will usually be treated with antibiotics bit if you have a blockage or any risk of kidney damage, your doctor will almost certainly suggest treatment to remove your kidney stone.

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is the most common method of dealing with kidney stones. X-ray imaging or ultrasound scanning will be used to find your kidney stone and a machine called a lithotriptor will be used to send shock waves through the abdomen to your kidney stone to break it up into small enough crystals that can then be passed in your urine. There may be some pain as the stone breaks up, so the procedure is usually performed under a local anaesthetic.

After a local anaesthetic it may take several hours before the feeling comes back into the treated area.

Surgical intervention with Ureteroscopic stone removal will be necessary if your stone is lodged in the ureter and this procedure is usually done under a general anaesthetic.

Large stones can be surgically removed from the kidney using a method called Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) Here the surgeon
will make a small cut in your back and uses a telescopic instrument called a nephroscope to pull the stone out or break it up using a laser beam or shock waves. PCNL is performed under general anaesthesia.

This condition is managed every day in every hospital across the world so don't worry, if you doctor has made your diagnosis he will advise on what treatment you need now. Good luck!