Kidney Stones
What are Kidney Stones?
Kidney stones are hard, crystalline deposits that form in the kidneys when minerals and salts in the urine concentrate and crystalize. They can develop due to various reasons, including inadequate water intake, high-sodium diets, and certain metabolic conditions. Stones can range in size and might remain in the kidneys or travel down the urinary tract.
Depending on their size and location, they can cause:
Severe pain
Kidney failure
Life threatening infections
Treatments For Kidney Stones
Small stones often pass on their own, and increased water intake can help.
Medication can sometimes be prescribed to help pass or dissolve certain types of stones.
Certain stones might require medical procedures such as lithotripsy (breaking the stone with sound waves), ureteroscopy (using a camera with a laser through the natural passageways), or percutaneous (through the back) surgery.
Dr. Garbens is fellowship trained in stone disease and can perform percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). Percutaneous nephrolithotomy is a surgery to remove large kidney stones. Instead of a big surgery, doctors make a small opening in the back, reach the kidney, break the stone into smaller pieces, and take them out through that opening. She has been trained to perform this surgery either prone (face down), supine (on your back) and uses ultrasound to minimize complications.