icon-white-6

“When we consume vastly more protein than we need, our kidneys struggle to process it, resulting in protein in the urine. Too much protein from meat may also contribute to kidney stones. ”

— Bee Wilson

Kidney stones

Some of the information provided contains graphic, medical images which individuals may find upsetting

Kidney stones are quite common. One in 10 men and one in 20 women may develop kidney stones during their lifetime.

What are the Symptoms of kidney stones?

Silent stones

Kidney stones sometimes come to light during scans for other conditions and remain without any symptoms.

Pain and bleeding

Stones in the kidney can give intermittent pain and you may notice blood in the urine as well. This can follow physical exertion, jogging etc. If the stone migrates into the ureter (the tube that drains urine from the kidney into the bladder) it can cause excruciating pain radiating from loin to the groin and sometimes into the testicle in men. It is considered one of the severe pains people can experience.

What causes kidney stones?

The commonest cause of kidney stones is insufficient fluid intake. We do need at least 2 L of fluid in 24 hours to the youth the waste products that are filtered into the urine. Sometimes there may be other reasons like high calcium levels, high uric acid levels (gout).

How are they diagnosed?

Usually kidney stones require a CT scan to confirm location, size and density of the stones.

What treatment options do I have?

  1. Small stones pass by themselves with good fluid intake and pain relief
  2. Dissolution therapy: certain types of stones can be dissolved by changing the acidity of urine
  3. Stones in the kidney can be treated by shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL), percutaneous Nephrolithotmy (PCNL – key hole surgery), uretero-renoscopy and laser treatment (URS)

Meet Our Team

  • Mr Bernard Potluri

    Mr Bernard Potluri

    Our Surgeon

  • Dr. Shashi Gopinath

    Dr. Shashi Gopinath

    Anaesthetist

  • Dr. Venkat Shenoy

    Dr. Venkat Shenoy

    Anaesthetist

  • Jo Nualart

    Jo Nualart

    Medical Secretary

  • Sharon Lambe

    Sharon Lambe

    Medical Secretary

Further kidney stones related information

Please see below links to information leaflets from British association of urological surgeons, on stone procedures and preventive measures

Latest kidney stones related news

There is no “one-size-fits-all” diet for preventing kidney stones. Everyone is different. Your diet may not be causing your stones to form. But there are dietary changes that you can make to stop stones from continuing to form. Below are some tips. Diet Changes 1. Drink enough fluids each day. If you are not producing…

©2023 - Herts & Essex Urology | Company Reg No: 7205080

My Agile Privacy
This website uses technical and profiling cookies. Clicking on "Accept" authorises all profiling cookies. Clicking on "Refuse" or the X will refuse all profiling cookies. By clicking on "Customise" you can select which profiling cookies to activate.
Warning: some page functionalities could not work due to your privacy choices