Expert Treatment of Kidney Stones

If you think you may have a kidney stone, don’t wait to seek help from our Southeast Texas urologists. We provide quick, effective treatment of kidney stones, so that you can move past kidney stone pain and resume a normal life.

What causes kidney stone pain?

Small kidney stones may cause minor pain, but can often pass through the urinary tract on their own. Larger kidney stones, or those that become lodged inside your urinary tract, are a different story: These are considered an urgent medical condition and need immediate diagnosis and treatment.

Large kidney stones can get stuck in the ureters, which are small tubes connecting your kidney to your bladder. When this happens, urine can’t flow normally, causing the kidney to become swollen and the ureter to spasm. This can be very painful, and often feels like sharp cramps in your lower back or sides. The pain can come and go, and it might feel like it’s moving from your back to your belly or to your groin. You may get a fever, experience chills or vomiting, or see blood in your urine.

To diagnose kidney stones, our Southeast Texas urology team will perform a physical exam, run blood tests and urinalysis, and possibly order kidney function tests as well as imaging studies to visualize the stone’s location. We will also recommend the most appropriate treatment of kidney stones to relieve your kidney stone pain.

Lots of options for treatment of kidney stones

If your kidney stones are small enough to pass on their own, we will give you information, pain management and monitoring to help you get through the process.

If your stones are larger or become lodged in certain areas, other options are available for urgent treatment of kidney stones. Which procedure you need will be based on the size of your kidney stones, what type they are, and where they are located.

• Shock-wave lithotripsy, a procedure that uses focused sound waves to break up large stones into smaller pieces that can pass out with the urine. This procedure is performed under anesthesia, and you can typically go home the same day.
• Cystoscopy or ureteroscopy, in which we use a small scope to look inside the urethra, ureters and bladder to locate and remove the stone, or break it apart so it can pass on its own. This procedure is also performed under anesthesia on an outpatient basis.
• Percutaneous nephrolithotomy, a minimally invasive surgery in which very small surgical tools are used to physically remove the stone from your kidney or ureter. This procedure is performed under anesthesia, and may involve a hospital stay.

Moving forward after treatment

After experiencing a kidney stone, most people are eager to ensure that it doesn’t happen a second time. Our Southeast Texas urologists provide careful monitoring after treatment of kidney stones, including measuring how much urine you produce and the mineral levels in your urine.

By studying the kidney stone after it is removed or passes, we can recommend preventive measures or medications to prevent future stones from forming. The medication you are prescribed will depend on the type of stone you experienced, and may need to be taken for several weeks or months. Some people also need to make changes to their fluid intake and diet. Proper fluid intake is very important because it flushes out the minerals that can gradually form stones inside your body.

Don’t wait to seek out help if you think you might have a kidney stone. Our Southeast Texas urologists can provide the relief and prevention you need to get back to life free from kidney stone pain. Contact us to schedule an appointment.