300 kidney stones removed from 75-yr-old farmer at Hyderabad's AINU

Hyderabad, March 3 (IANS) Doctors at the Asian Institute of Nephrology & Urology (AINU), Hitech City here have successfully removed 300 stones from the kidney of a 75-year-old farmer.

While formation of stones is a common phenomenon in this part of the world, presence of stones in such large numbers often challenges the urologists who operate on such patients.

According to doctors, Ram Reddy, a native of Karimnagar district, had been suffering from severe discomfort in the back and flank region for the past few months, until he was referred to and presented at AINU Hitech City. Ultrasound and Computerized Tomography (CT) scans indicated the presence of a massive stone of more than 7 cms size in the right kidney.

Dr. Md. Taif Bendigeri, Consultant Urologist, AINU, said that while 7 mm to 15 mm sized stones are commonly found among patients, more than 7 cms was too large and possibly quite painful for the patient. Advanced age of the patient, along with co-morbidities and chronic ailments like diabetes, hypertension, and cardiac issues, turned the process more complex. However, the team led by Dr. Mallikarjuna C., conducted proper due diligence, and took all necessary precautions, and performed a keyhole surgery using advanced LASER technology, he said.

"The clearance of the stone burden of more than 7cms was carried through a key-hole incision of merely 5mm in size. The large stone was comprised a massive stone load of more than 300 multiple stones. At the end of a technically challenging procedure, all 300 stones were cleared from the kidney. The patient was diagnosed normal without any complications and was discharged on the second day after surgery," added Dr. Taif.

Kidney stone formation is a common medical ailment in the society and the prevalence has been found to be among 6 per cent - 12 per cent of the general population. The incidence of kidney stones has been increasing with changing dietary patterns and lifestyles among Indians.

Most commonly, the kidney stones present with pain in the flank region of varying intensity and might also be associated with burning sensation in urine or presence of blood in urine. Simple investigations help in identifying the problem at early stage and initiating the treatment immediately.

This surgical procedure was performed under the aegis of Dr. Mallikarjuna C., and ably supported Dr. Deepak Ragoori and Dr. Leela Krishna. This team of experts was well supported by a team of anesthesiologists comprising Dr. Satyanarayana, Dr. Neelam and Dr. Sahaja.

Doctors say people suffering from kidney stone issues need not be apprehensive of the procedure and seek treatment at the earliest to avoid complications. It is important to note that kidney stones can be totally asymptomatic or have very minimal vague symptoms and damage the kidneys silently. Fortunately, this can be picked up easily with the help of regular kidney health check periodically.

Patients, who have had previous episodes of kidney stone formations, are always at higher risk to formation of stones again and hence periodic follow-up is mandatory for such high-risk population. Doctors at AINU recommend people to drink more water during the upcoming summer months, to reduce the risk of formation of stones in kidneys.