Da-Vinci robotic radical prostatectomy surgery: benefits, procedure and postoperative period
In this post we show you the benefits and procedure of using the Da Vinci robotic system in radical prostatectomy.
All you need to know about kidney stones
What is renoureteral lithiasis?
Kidney stones (renal lithiasis) are solid deposits of minerals and salts that form inside the kidneys. Most lithiasis are formed by calcium in combination with oxalate and/or phosphate, but there are also struvite stones, also called infectious lithiasis, because they are produced by certain bacteria responsible for urine infections.
Stone formation is related to multiple factors (diet, fluid intake, climate, metabolic diseases, anatomical abnormalities of the kidney, heredity, etc.).
The presence of kidney stones is a common disease that affects between 4-7% of the population. They are more frequent in men and usually appear between 20 and 40 years of age.
Symptoms of kidney stones
The main symptom it causes is renal colic pain. This is a very intense pain in the lumbar region that is reflected towards the lower abdomen or groin. It may be accompanied by hematuria (blood in the urine) orsymptoms similar to those of a urinary tract infection (burning during urination, frequency of urination, etc.). In some cases the acute pain is accompanied by a vegetative picture with nausea and vomiting. There are also renal lithiasis that do not produce any symptoms.
If fever or chills appear , there may be an associated infection so it is vital to contact your urologist immediately or go to the emergency room as there is a risk of bringing the patient to a serious clinical situation.
How are kidney stones treated?
The treatment and follow-up of kidney stones is very important because patients who have already suffered from kidney stones have an increased risk of developing kidney stones. 50% chance of developing another stone again over time. It is estimated that approximately half of the people who have one stone produce another within 5 years.
Most stones are expelled spontaneously, producing renal colic, but if they are not expelled spontaneously, they will require specific treatment.
The treatment consists in the elimination of the stones, for which there are several alternatives and techniques that are applied depending on the composition of the stone, its location in the urinary tract, the repercussion on the renal function, the clinical situation of the patient and are:
- Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. Through the application of an external energy, the calculus is fragmented into small stones that can be expelled through the urinary tract.
- Both rigid and flexible ureterorenoscopy. It consists of accessing the calculus both at the level of the kidney and the ureter, through the natural urinary orifices, by means of an instrument called ureteroscope that can be rigid or flexible. Subsequently, the stone is extracted or fragmented with a laser.
- Percutaneous endoscopic nephrolithotomy. Through the creation of a path from the skin to the kidney, a nephroscope is introduced that allows us to fragment the lithiasis with laser and extract the lithiasic fragments.
- Laparoscopic or open ureterolithotomy.
