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Kidney stone disease, also known as renal calculus disease, nephrolithiasis or urolithiasis, is a crystallopathy where a solid piece of material (renal calculus) develops in the urinary tract. [2] Renal calculi typically form in the kidney and leave the body in the urine stream. [2] A small calculus may pass without causing symptoms. [2]
Figure 18. Renal stone located at the pyeloureteric junction with accompanying hydronephrosis. [1] With US, larger stones (>5–7 mm) within the kidney, i.e., in the calyces, the pelvis and the pyeloureteric junction, can be differentiated, especially in the cases with accompanying hydronephrosis (Figure 18 and Figure 19).
The signs and symptoms of hydronephrosis depend upon whether the obstruction is acute or chronic, partial or complete, unilateral or bilateral.Hydronephrosis that occurs acutely with sudden onset (as caused by a kidney stone) can cause intense pain in the flank area (between the hips and ribs) known as a renal colic.
A number of important medical conditions are caused by stones: [citation needed] Nephrolithiasis (kidney stones) Can cause hydronephrosis (swollen kidneys) and kidney failure; Can predispose to pyelonephritis (kidney infections) Can progress to urolithiasis; Urolithiasis (urinary bladder stones) Can progress to bladder outlet obstruction
In the general population, the frequency of medullary sponge kidney disease is reported to be 0.02–0.005%; that is, 1 in 5000 to 1 in 20,000. The frequency of medullary sponge kidney has been reported by various authors to be 12–21% in patients with kidney stones. [10] The disease is bilateral in 70% of cases. [citation needed]
Lithotomy differs from lithotripsy, where the stones are crushed either by a minimally invasive probe inserted through the exit canal, or by an acoustic pulse (extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy), which is a non-invasive procedure. Because of these less invasive procedures, the use of lithotomy has decreased significantly in the modern era.
[16] [17] [18] All stones are detectable on CT scans except very rare stones composed of certain drug residues in the urine. [19] In patients with recurrent ascending urinary tract infections, it may be necessary to exclude an anatomical abnormality, such as vesicoureteral reflux or polycystic kidney disease.
A calculus (plural calculi) is a hard, stone-like concretion that forms within an organ or duct inside the body. They are usually made from mineral salts, and other types of calculi include tonsiloliths (tonsil stones) and renal calculi (kidney stones). Sialolithiasis refers to the formation of calculi within a salivary gland.