Urolithiasis:Theprocessof forming stonesinthekidney,bladder, and/orurethra(urinary tract).
Kidney stones are a common cause of blood in the urine and pain in theabdomen,flank, orgroin. Kidney stones occur in 1 in 20 people at some time in their life.
Thedevelopment石头的减少有关urinevolume or increased excretion of stone-forming components such ascalcium, oxalate,urate,cystine,xanthine, andphosphate. The stones form in the urine collecting area (thepelvis) of the kidney and mayrangein size from tiny to staghorn stones the size of therenal pelvisitself.
The cystine stones (below) compared in size to a quarter (a U.S. $0.25 coin) were obtained from the kidney of a young woman bypercutaneous nephrolithotripsy(PNL), a procedure for crushing and removing the dense stubborn stones characteristic of cystinuria.
Thepainwith kidney stones is usually of suddenonset, very severe and colicky (intermittent), not improved by changes in position, radiating from the back, down the flank, and into the groin. Nausea and vomiting are common.
Factors predisposing to kidney stones include recent reduction in fluid intake, increased exercise with dehydration, medications that cause hyperuricemia (highuric acid) and a history of gout.
Treatment includes relief of pain, hydration and, if there is concurrenturinaryinfection, antibiotics.
The majority of stones pass spontaneously within 48 hours. However, some stones may not. There are several factors which influence the ability to pass a stone. These include the size of the person, prior stone passage,prostateenlargement, pregnancy, and the size of the stone. A 4mmstone has an 80% chance of passage while a 5 mm stone has a 20% chance. If a stone does not pass, certain procedures (usually by a urology specialistdoctor) may be needed.
The process of stone formation,urolithiasis, is also called nephrolithiasis. "Nephrolithiasis" is derived from the Greek nephros- (kidney) lithos (stone) = kidney stone "Urolithiasis" is from the French word "urine" which, in turn, stems from the Latin "urina" and the Greek "ouron" meaning urine = urine stone. The stones themselves are also calledrenalcaluli. The word "calculus" (plural:calculi) is the Latin word for pebble.
