Kidney stones and renal colic.
What are kidney stones most commonly made from?
About 80% of stones are calcium oxalate. Struvite is Magnesium Ammonium Phosphate and is the most common urinary stone in dogs (and occasionally occurs in humans which is a bit ruff.)
When patients present with renal colic what percentage do not have microscopic haematuria?
It is estimated at about 15% which means dont exclude renal colic just because the urine is clear on urine analysis.
A patient has a 4mm stone causing obstruction at mid ureter. He asks you what his chances of passing it are. Which of the following responses would be best.
At 0-3mm about 95%+ pass. At 4mm about 80% pass. At 5mm 60%. At 6mm only a third pass.
Tamsulosin is sometimes asked for by urologists for distal uncomplicated stones. What type of drug is it?
It acts to relax the smooth muscle of the ureter and bladder to potentially allow stone passage. It has gone out of favour with many urologists.
William Shatner---Captain Kirk from Star Trek, sold his kidney stone in 2006 for how much money---in $US.
He sold it to GoldenPalace.com--an online casino. Mr Shatner donated the money to the charity "Habitat for Humanity".
This is a non contrast CT in a man with right loin pain. He ended up having an obstructive stone. What does the CT show?
The back pressure from the stone has dilated the ureter and pushed fluid out through the kidney capsule.
Where along the ureter do stones classically get stuck? Choose the best answer.
Sometimes the stone looks like it has entered the bladder. But be careful because the distal ureter invaginates into the bladder and so a stone can look like it has entered the bladder but is in fact still stuck in the VUJ.(Vesicoureteric junction).
What is thought to be the lifetime risk of getting a kidney stone in the Australian adult population?
It is pretty common and it is said that between 4 and 8% of the population suffer from kidney stones at any 1 time. Sounds high.
For all those interested in ultrasound what does this clip from Critical care sonography show?
Colour doppler was put on this lodged VUJ stone. This effect tends to be seen with stones who have a rough surface.
The largest kidney stone ever removed (pictured) was 17cm in diameter. How much did it weigh
It was removed in 2009 in Budapest. Good door stop.