Kidney Stones
Hundreds of kidney stones of various size! Kidney stones, or urolithiasis, are clumps of mineral that accumulate from dissolved materials on the inner lining of the kidneys. Calculi are usually unilateral and about 1 to 3 mm in size, but some can become as big as golf balls. Calculi form when there is increased excretion of solutes such as calcium and when urine alkalinity, acidity, stasis, and/or concentration are favorable. The pain generated by renal colic is primarily caused by dilation, stretching, and spasm because of the acute ureteral obstruction. The classic presentation for a patient with acute renal colic is the sudden onset of severe pain originating in the flank and radiating inferiorly and anteriorly; half of the patients will also have nausea and vomiting, and many have infection, or hematuria as well. Patients with small, nonobstructing stones or those with staghorn calculi may be asymptomatic or experience moderate and easily controlled symptoms.
