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Diagnosis

If you have symptoms of a kidney stone, your urologist may perform the following diagnostic tests to confirm the presence of kidney stones and draft a treatment plan:

• Blood and urine tests: Blood tests help assess the calcium and uric acid levels in the blood, which helps evaluate the health of the kidneys. A 24-hour urine collection test examines the components of the urine for stone-forming minerals and stone-preventing substances.
• Imaging tests: Imaging tests like CT scans, abdominal X-rays, and ultrasounds help reveal the size and location of kidney stones.
• Stone analysis: Often, large kidney stones are associated with small kidney stones. If you collect your urine and pass it through a strainer, you can obtain small renal stones and send them to the lab for analysis.

Treatment

For a kidney stone, you may need one of the following treatments:

• ESWL (Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy) is a common noninvasive treatment in which shock waves like X-rays or ultrasounds are used to break down stones in the urinary system, pancreas, or bile ducts.
• RIRS (Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery) is an endoscopic surgery in which the surgeon uses a fiberoptic endoscope and a ureteroscope to locate and remove renal stones from kidneys or ureters.
• Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is performed to remove kidney or upper ureter stones that are too large to be dissolved through ESWL or URSL.
• In Ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URSL), the surgeon inserts a ureteroscope through the urethra to locate the stones, and then the stones are destroyed using shock waves. A urethral stent may be placed at the end of the surgery to keep the ureter open after the procedure.