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How Long Does It Take For Kidney Stone To Pass After Lithotripsy?

Posted on Wed, 19 Feb 2014

Question: Hi Dr. Bhabhe, Thanks for checking in with me. I went through with the CT scan. They used a non-ionic, low osmolarity XXXXXXX They also used a scope (cytoscope?) to check for a tumor in my bladder and found none. According to the CT scan and cytoscope, it is not cancer !! 8) Thank god. I have a kidney stone. According to the urologist it appears to be about 4mm in size. This Tuesday they will take an X-ray to get a better look at it. I will let you know more after Tuesday. * I started eating about an ounce of dark chololate/day, about 7 months ago. I am no longer eating dark chocolate 8) * I wanted to ask you the following questions: - Statistically - percentage wise, what is the chance of having some form of kidney damage after lithotripsy? - How long does it take for a stone to pass (time range?) after lithotripsy? - I heard passing a kidney stone on one's own is very painful, If they don't perform lithotripsy, what other methods are available? - Any good personal recommendations/websites to help prevent future kidney stones ? - I assume I've had this stone for a while- (slowly growing?) The blood found in my urine was in November, 2013. How long could the stone stay in it's place w/o dislodging from the kidney.... w/o medical intervention ? Thanks - XXXX

Answered by Dr. Aditya Bhabhe (14 hours later)

Brief Answer: See detailed answer Detailed Answer: Hi XXXXXXX I have the following answers to your questions: 1) Chance of kidney damage: Not much medical literature available. So we cannot quote a percentage of risk. Here are 2 direct quotes from latest medical literature: a) Various studies in children are reassuring, but similar long-term studies in adults must be undertaken. b) Given the reduced hospitalization time and general safety of the procedure, there are insufficient data available to warrant discouraging physicians and patients from choosing ESWL as an initial therapy when stone removal is clinically indicated and the nature and the site of the kidney stone are amenable to ESWL treatment. 2) About qn 2&3 i.e., how long does it take for stone to pass and other methods available: ESWl or lithotripsy is performed by a urologist. So you will need to speak to your urologist or a urology doctor on this forum to obtain these details. 3) Once the stone has passed out, we may do your metabolic work up which involves blood and urine tests. These tests will tell us if you have a biochemical tendency to form stones and we can plan prevention accordingly. As of now you should drink 3-3.5l of water per day. 4) We cannot say with certainty the duration. It may pass down on its own or may stay put or grow in size. The only way to find out what is going on would be to repeat an ultrasound in 4-6 weeks Regards Dr Bhabhe

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Aditya Bhabhe (1 hour later)

I will let you know what the X-ray shows after Tuesday.

Answered by Dr. Aditya Bhabhe (13 hours later)

Brief Answer: Ok Detailed Answer: Ok Dr Bhabhe

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Aditya Bhabhe (44 hours later)

Hi Dr. Bhabhe, I had the x-ray done. The stone is 4mm and is located in the bottom of my left kidney in a calyx. My urologist said that if it dislodges into the ureter, I have a 60% chance of passing the stone. His answers were much like yours. He said it could stay put, or dislodge. He said the X-ray revealed it is a calcium deposit. He said I could have Lithotripsy, scope with laser, or just leave it alone. I've decided to leave it alone for now. He has set me up for an xray a year from now to see how it's doing,i.e. going. Any advice or concerns you have would be appreciated. Thanks - XXXX

Answered by Dr. Aditya Bhabhe (4 hours later)

Brief Answer: Seems reasonable Detailed Answer: Hi XXXXXXX It seems quite reasonable to wait and watch. The frequency with which to monitor the size of the stone and its movement varies. Some doctors may repeat a scan in 3 months while others (like your urologist) wait a little longer. You should keep drinking lots of fluids. This will reduce the risk of new stone formation and help in the natural passage of the existing one. Regards Dr Bhabhe

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar