Question:

I have a couple of questions about kidney stones. First off is there any medications to dissolve calcuim kidney stones or is there just lithotrispy? If the kidney stone is in the tube between the bladder and the kidney and the pain has stopped after intense pain; what is the chance that the stone has passed?

Answer:

First question: is there any medications to dissolve calcium kidney stones or is there just lithotripsy?

About 80% of kidney stones contain calcium to some degree.  Unfortunately, there are no medications that dissolve these stones.  The only stones that can be dissolved are uric acid stones, which are relatively uncommon.  However, there are several treatments for fragmenting and/or removing stones.  These include shock-wave lithotripsy (in which the patient is placed under general anesthesia and immersed in a water bath, and shock waves are focused on the stone to fragment it into tiny pieces that can then be passed), and ultrasonic lithotripsy, which uses focused sound waves (no water bath, and just local anesthesia). There is also basket extraction, in which a cystoscope is inserted through the urethra into the bladder, and a small basket is pushed up the ureter (the tube between the kidney and the bladder, and the place where most stones get stuck) to snare the stone and pull it down and out.

However, most treatments focus on preventing stone formation in the first place.  For instance, patients are encouraged to drink lots of water so that the urine stays dilute and crystals are less likely to form and grow into stones.  Also, depending on what type of stones a person has, there are various medications and dietary modifications that can help, with varying degrees of success, to prevent stone formation.

Second question: If the kidney stone is in the tube between the bladder and the kidney and the pain has stopped after intense pain, what is the chance that the stone has passed?

Most stone sufferers can tell the exact moment that the stone passes, because the intense pain that you describe abruptly ceases, although it sometimes leaves behind a dull ache.  Once the stone passes through the tube (ureter) into the bladder, it no longer blocks urine flow and thus no longer causes pain.  Stones <7 mm in diameter generally pass spontaneously, especially if the patient can drink lots of fluids, creating lots of urine that can help to push the stone through the ureter. A mazing, isn’t it, how much pain a tiny little spiky stone can cause?

For more information:

Go to the Kidney Diseases health topic.