“My son has a kidney stone, is passing it the only way to remove it?”
My son is only 10 years old and has a kidney stone. Is the only way for him to have it removed is by pushing it out through urination?
3 Answers
Kidney stones will only pass on their own if they are small enough. Sometimes, even tiny stones get stuck & do not pass spontaneously. There are many methods for removing kidney stones depending upon size & location. For instance, large stones within kidney may best be pulverized by ESWL (Shockwave Lithotripsy) where stores are broken up by sound waves. Stones within the ureter may be amenable to using a ureteroscope (very narrow flexible telescope with working channel) plus laser. Best advice is to consult with a urologist experienced in treating children with kidney stones.
Kidney stones are less common in children, but treatment is nearly identical to treatment in adults. Small stones will tend to pass on their own with time. If the stone is unlikely to pass or if there are problems such as infection or severe pain, then surgical interventions of various types can be used to break and/or remove the stone.
The size and location of the stone as well as the degree of pain will determine whether it is best to wait for the stone to pass spontaneously with urination with the help of pain medicine and good hydration, to intervene by extracorporeal; shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) or by endoscopic means.
