Kidney stones, how they arise, their symptoms, methods of diagnosis in Turkey, methods of treatment in Turkey, and how to prevent them.
What are kidney stones?
Kidney stones are common—if you don’t have them, chances are you know someone who does.
Kidney stones affect 1 in 11 people in the U.S. Overall, about 19 percent of men and 9 percent of women in the U.S. develop stones by age 70.
Kidney stones (also called nephrolithiasis or urolithiasis) are formed by the deposition of hard, rock-like crystals that form in the kidneys, and the kidneys are organs that filter waste and excess fluid from the human body.
The stones usually form when there is too much waste and not enough fluid in the kidneys.
The process of passing stones of the kidney into and through the ureter (the tube that carries urine to the bladder) can be painful. Some women say the pain is worse than childbirth, ranging in size from a grain of sand to the size of a pea or even the size of a golf ball.
Kidney stones types
Kidney stones come in four basic types.
Calcium stones make up about 70 to 80 percent of all kidney stones and are, therefore, the most common. Calcium can bind with other substances in the urine, such as oxalate and phosphate, to form stones.
They include stones that do not contain calcium:
- Uric acid stones form when urine contains too much acid
- Cystine stones form when there is a high concentration of cysteine acids in the urine
- Struvite stones (sepsis) When a person develops sepsis, bacteria turn the urine into a hearty medium, which hinders the dissolution of certain minerals such as magnesium ammonium phosphate and contributes to the formation of stones.
Kidney stones can form in one or both kidneys, while in the kidney, the stone may not cause any symptoms.
Similarly, stones as small as a grain of sand may pass out of the body unnoticed, but if larger stones travel down the ureter, they can create a blockage that causes pain and a variety of other symptoms.
Signs and symptoms of kidney stones
Pain is one of the classic symptoms of kidney stones. The pain is usually sharp and stabbing in the lower rib cage and is felt on both sides of the loin and may spread around the abdomen and in the groin area and can travel to the genital area as well.
Pain from kidney stones often comes in the form of colic, and you may feel better for a few hours before the pain returns.
In addition to pain, blood in the urine and a burning sensation during urination are other common symptoms of kidney stones, and some may experience vomiting and nausea.
If a fever accompanies these symptoms, this is a danger sign and you should go to the hospital immediately for fear of nephritis or blood clots.
Other symptoms of kidney stones: Frequent urination, strong urge to urinate, cloudy and foul-smelling urine.
Causes and risk factors for kidney stones
Some people are more likely to develop kidney stones than others, for example men are more likely to develop kidney stones than women, as are people with a family history of kidney stones, those with a history of urinary tract infections, and those who have had kidney stones once before.
You’re also more likely to develop kidney stones if you take certain medications, including Diuretics, calcium-based antacids (medications that relieve stomach acidity), topiramate (an anti-seizure medication), and indinavir (an HIV treatment), Calcium and vitamin C supplements may also increase your risk of kidney stones.
Although medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity can increase the risk of kidney stones, healthy people can also develop them.
There are many factors (causes) that may contribute to the formation of kidney stones:
- Not drinking enough water
- A diet high in salt or sugar, low in calcium, and high in animal protein
- High intake of oxalate-rich foods (such as nuts, spinach, chocolate, and certain types of tea)
- Drinking a lot of sodas that contain phosphates and are high in sugar
- Lack of citrate, a substance that helps prevent the formation of stones
- Family history and genetic causes
How are kidney stones diagnosed in Turkey?
If your doctor suspects kidney stones, he or she will likely ask you about your personal and family medical history to determine if you are genetically predisposed to kidney stones or if you have any medical conditions that could increase your risk, such as certain diseases such as diabetes.
Your doctor may also ask about your dietary habits, especially those that may increase your risk of stones.
Next, you may undergo a physical examination, a series of images, and a urine and blood test to look for the underlying diagnosis and factors causing the stones.
The most common imaging tests used to diagnose the stones are computed tomography (which produces three-dimensional images of the body) or ultrasound imaging.
Finally, if the stone passes during urination, you should bring it to your doctor for analysis. They vary in size and shape, and may be as small as a grain of sand, or as large as a pea.
Kidney stones generally look like solid yellow or brown pebbles and may have smooth or rough edges.
Based on the results, doctors may be able to identify the type of stone and then prescribe certain medications or recommend certain lifestyle changes to help prevent them from recurring.
How long do kidney stones stay in the body
Depending on the size of the kidney stones, it can sometimes take up to six weeks for larger stones to pass, while smaller stones can take a few days to a week.
Treatment options and medications for kidney stones in Turkey
You may not always need treatment for stones in the kidney; a small stone can pass through the urinary tract without intervention, but larger stones can block the ureter and cause pain and other symptoms.
Kidney stone pain can be severe at first and may require pain medication.
Drinking plenty of water (enough to produce at least two liters of urine each day) can help pass stones. In addition, doctors may prescribe tamsulosin, a drug that relaxes the muscles of the ureter and helps pass stones.
Sometimes, surgery is the best option to get rid of stones in the kidney, depending on several factors.
Most urologists recommend surgical removal of stones within six weeks (if they don’t pass on their own) because of the risk of ureteral obstruction that can lead to complications, such as kidney failure, recurrent urinary tract infections (UTI), and bleeding.
Notably, patients who have a UTI at the same time as kidney stones can develop sepsis, a life-threatening condition. If this happens, doctors usually place a tube in the ureter or kidney to drain the infected urine. In addition, antibiotics are given to treat the infection.
Shock wave lithotripsy
Shock wave lithotripsy is the best and least invasive procedure.
In this procedure, your doctor uses a device that generates a high-energy shock wave directed at kidney stones under imaging guidance without incisions.
Performed under general anesthesia and taking about two hours, this technique is often used for small stones in the kidneys so that once they are broken up, they are likely to pass.
Doctors may recommend this procedure when the size of the stone is less than 2 cm. The patient may notice blood in the urine for a few days after the procedure, but they can usually return to work or their usual routine the next day.
It’s a favorite procedure for breaking up kidney stones, but it’s not always effective.
Ureteroscopy to treat kidney stones
- Ureteroscopy is another minimally invasive procedure in which a doctor places a small tube with a camera – called a ureteroscope – into the urethra, the passage that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body.
- Then they pass the scope into the bladder, then into the ureter. Next, they pass a small laser device through the scope to break up the stones.
This laser can crush stones 1 to 1.5 cm in size into sand-like particles. No incisions are needed, and the procedure is done under general anesthesia. A stent, or rubber tube, may be placed in the ureter to allow the particles to pass through the urinary tract and out of the body. Patients who undergo ureteroscopy recover quickly. However, they may have some blood in their urine for a few days after the procedure. Those who have a catheter in place will visit their doctor about a week after the procedure to have it removed.
Percutaneous dissolution of kidney stones
- For stones larger than 2 centimeters, your doctor may recommend percutaneous removal or percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). Both procedures require a small incision in the back to create a pathway to the kidney, through which a nephroscope and other surgical tools are inserted. Your doctor may use a laser or an ultrasound device that vibrates at a high frequency to break up the stones. The doctor inserts a stent into the ureter to help pass the fragments. Lithotripsy patients are advised to stay in the hospital for one night. We usually recommend that people avoid physical exertion for 10 days to two weeks until the urinary tract has healed, and you should see your doctor to remove the stent later.
Robot-assisted laparoscopic kidney stone removal in Turkey
Robot-assisted laparoscopic nephrolithotomy can be another option for patients with large stones.
In this procedure, surgeons make small incisions in the abdomen through which a laparoscope, a tube with a camera at the end, and small surgical instruments are inserted to access the kidneys and open them to remove the stones.
The surgeon controls These surgical tools using a computer unit in the operating room. The small incisions used in robotic surgery help patients recover faster and experience less bleeding compared to an open procedure.
In addition, with robotic surgery, patients can generally go home after a day or two in the hospital and return to work within a week.
Kidney stones require medical care, and alternative medicine is not recommended.
Robotic surgery has become a pioneer in Turkey in almost all fields. Our website has a story about robotic kidney transplantation.
Preventing kidney stones
Here are some lifestyle changes that can reduce your risk of developing kidney stones:
- Drinking plenty of fluids is one of the best ways to prevent kidney stones. The equivalent of 8 cups of water should be consumed daily.
- Minimize salt and sugar
- Getting adequate amounts of calcium salts
- Limit animal proteins, such as beef and chicken
- Eat a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables. Eat plenty of nutrient-rich foods to ensure you get enough potassium, magnesium, and citrate, all nutrients that may help prevent kidney stones
- Limit colas and sodas
- Limit oxalate-rich foods, which include beans, berries, nuts, soybeans, sweet potatoes, wheat bran, and dark green vegetables such as spinach
- Your doctor may prescribe medications to help with this
Complications of kidney stones
Left untreated, kidney stones can block the ureter, increasing the risk of pyelonephritis (a type of urinary tract infection) that requires immediate medical attention as it can cause permanent kidney damage or sepsis.
Conditions related to kidney stones
If you think you may have kidney stones, it’s important to consult your doctor. Your doctor can perform imaging tests to look for other issues that may cause abdominal pain, such as appendicitis, pancreatitis, ulcerative colitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and stomach ulcers.
Kidney stones are also often associated with urinary tract infections, which develop when bacteria make their way into the kidneys, ureters, bladder, or urethra and cause an infection. People who have a blockage in their urinary tract (including kidney stones) face a higher risk of developing a urinary tract infection. They are both a result and a cause.
Kidney stones and urinary tract infections share some symptoms, such as abdominal pain, cloudy, bloody, or foul-smelling urine, and the constant need to urinate.
If the UTI spreads to the kidneys, you may experience other symptoms also associated with kidney stones, such as lower back pain, fever, chills, nausea, and vomiting.
Kidney stones treatment in Turkey
The cost of stones of kidney treatment in Turkey ranges between 2,000 and 10,000 USD depending on the type of operation, whether it is laser, shockwave, or laparoscopic removal.
| Minimum | Maximum | Surgery Type |
| 3000$ | 8000$ | Laser kidney stone removal |
| 5000$ | 10000$ | Percutaneous nephrolithotomy |
| 2000$ | 8000$ | Non-surgical shockwave kidney stone treatment |
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