If your doctor requires more information, an intravenous pyelogram (IVP) or a computed tomography (CT) scan may be necessary. In some cases, a simple X-ray, called a KUB, will be adequate to detect a stone. A blood sample will also be collected so that kidney function and blood counts can be measured.Įven though all of these tests are necessary, a kidney stone can only be definitively diagnosed by a radiologic evaluation. Your doctor will perform a urinalysis, to look for blood or infection in the urine. A physical examination will be performed to evaluate for signs of a kidney stone, such as pain in the flank, lower abdomen or groin. Important information regarding current symptoms, previous stone events, medical illnesses and conditions, medications, dietary history and family history will all be collected. When your doctor evaluates you for a kidney stone, the first step will be a complete history and physical examination. Other symptoms may include blood in the urine (hematuria), frequent or persistent urinary tract infections, urinary urgency or frequency and nausea or vomiting. The pain may begin in the lower back and may move to the side or the groin. When this happens, the stone can block the drainage of urine from the kidney, a condition known as renal colic. This severe pain occurs when the kidney stone breaks loose from the place that it formed, the renal papilla, and falls into the urinary collecting system.

Most people are diagnosed with kidney stones after the thunderclap onset of excruciating and unforgettable pain. People with gout can also form uric acid stones.Ĭystine stones: Cystine stones are rare, and they form only in persons with an inherited metabolic disorder that causes high levels of cystine in the urine, a condition known as cystinuria. Uric acid stones are more common in people who consume large amounts of protein, such as that found in red meat or poultry. When there is too much uric acid in the urine, stones can form. When the pH of urine drops below 5.5, urine becomes saturated with uric acid crystals, a condition known as hypercalciuria. Uric acid stones: Uric acid is produced when the body metabolizes protein. Ammonia acts to raise the pH of urine, which makes it alkaline and promotes the formation of struvite. These stones form as a result of infection with certain types of bacteria that can produce ammonia. Struvite stones: Some patients form stones that are composed of a mixture of magnesium, ammonium, phosphate and calcium carbonate, which is known as struvite. For some people, calcium phosphate stones form as a result of a medical condition known as renal tubular acidosis. Calcium phosphate stones, another kind of calcium stone, are much less common than calcium oxalate stones. There are some people who form calcium oxalate stones as a result of too much oxalate in the urine, a condition known as hypercalciuria In some cases, too much oxalate in the urine is a result of inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, or other times it may be a consequence of prior intestinal surgery. Still others have kidneys that do not correctly regulate the amount of calcium they release into their urine. Others absorb too much calcium from their bones. Some people absorb too much calcium from their intestines.

Many people who form calcium containing stones have too much calcium in their urine, a condition known as hypercalciuria There are several reasons why hypercalciuria may occur.

Kidney stones come in a variety of mineral types:Ĭalcium stones: Most kidney stones are composed of calcium and oxalate. A kidney stone develops when these crystals attach to one another, accumulating into a small mass, or stone. Under certain conditions, substances normally dissolved in urine, such as calcium, oxalate and phosphate, become too concentrated and can separate out as crystals. Urine is the product of this filtering process. The job of the kidneys is to maintain the body's balance of water, minerals and salts. Kidney stones can be small, like a tiny pebble or grain of sand, but are often much larger. Most kidney stones form on the interior surface of the kidney, where urine leaves the kidney tissue and enters the urinary collecting system. Kidney stones are hard objects, made up of millions of tiny crystals.

Staghorn calculus infection