Kidney stones on the rise

Kidney stones are common in adults but in recent years have increased in frequency in children.
In the past, stones were so uncommon in kids that the diagnosis of stones in a child usually meant that a serious metabolic illness coexisted.
Nowadays, kids are getting adult diseases like high blood pressure, adult diabetes, and now kidney stones. Like adults, these stones are diet related, namely too much salt and meat.
Sad, really! My advice, stay off the processed fast foods, encourage fruits and vegetables, and cook at home.
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Free at last

After blasting the stone, contrast easily passes into the bladder.
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Localizing stones

Sometimes stones can be difficult to locate on the day of a lithotripsy. Sometimes this means the stone has passed but othertimes the stone is obscured by overlying bowel contents. Still other stones can look like phleboliths, which are calcifications in veins and of no other significance.
When it becomes difficult to locate a stone, we can use contrast and fluoroscopy, as in the image above.
The stone is in the crosshairs and about to be blasted.
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Where is the stone?

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Kidney stones

Kidney stones come in basic types:
Calcium stones
Uric acid stones
Cystine stones

Calcium stones are the most common type. These stones are visible on plain x-rays which can make them easier to treat. Calcium stones are diet related in general.

Uric acid stones are invisible on plain x-rays but can be seen on CT scans. They can only form in acidic urine. It is possible to dissolve these stones with medication.

Cystine stones are very rare and are caused by inherited derangements in biochemical processes. These stones appear faint on x-ray but are very hard. They tend to not respond to non-invasive forms of treatments, like lithotripsy.

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