Overview
The cost of kidney stone surgery depends on various factors like the type of surgery, stage of the disease, consultation fees, diagnostic tests, conveyance cost, etc.
Kidney stones are a common disease and affect people mostly in the age group of 30 to 60.
Kidney stones mainly occur in one or both kidneys and the other parts of the urinary tract like the ureter, urethra, bladder, etc.
Kidney stones can be very small in size and easily pass through the urine. Bigger stones can be as big as a chickpea and can cause severe pain until they exit the body.
Kidney stones can be passed naturally or through medications. Sometimes, the stones get lodged in parts of the urinary tract and cause infection, inflammation, and other complications. In such cases, surgery is recommended.
What are kidney stones?
Kidney stones are hard, crystallized, pebble-like structures that occur in the kidney. They are also known as renal calculi and contain concentrated salts and minerals like phosphate, oxalate, calcium, etc., that are present in the urine.
Kidney stones are of various sizes and can occur in other locations of the urinary tract.
If untreated, kidney stones can cause serious complications like kidney damage, kidney diseases, kidney infection, etc. If the infection spreads to the bloodstream, it can cause septicemia.
The chances of kidney stone recurrence are very high.
What are the common signs of kidney stones?
If the kidney stones are very small in size, you may not have any symptoms. Big kidney stones can cause severe pain and other complications.
Renal colic
Kidney stone pain is known as renal colic. The pain is very severe and is often compared to stabbing pain or childbirth pain and may even require an emergency visit to the hospital.
The pain intensifies when the stones move toward the ureter and the kidney contracts to push out the stone. Blockage may also cause severe pain. If there is a blockage, the urine backflows and as a result, there are muscle spasms and pressure in the kidney.
Renal colic can start suddenly. The pain comes and goes in waves as the ureter contracts.
The pain may radiate to the side, back, under the ribs, and to the groin.
The pain also depends on the size of the stone and its location. The bigger the stone, the more difficult it is to pass it out. If the stones get stuck in the narrow opening of the ureter, it can cause severe spasms.
Burning sensation during urination
You may feel sharp pain or a burning sensation while urinating. This condition is called dysuria. There might be some presence of infection as well.
Frequent urination
You may feel an urgent need to urinate throughout the day. The symptom is very similar to a urinary tract infection. This occurs when the stone has moved towards the bladder.
If the stones block the passage of urine, you may urinate in small amounts each time you go to the washroom.
If the urine flow stops entirely, this is a medical emergency.
Cloudy urine
The urine may be cloudy and has a foul smell. This occurs because the urine is more concentrated or there are bacteria causing a UTI.
Kidney stones with UTI may need an emergency surgical procedure.
Vomiting and nausea
Nausea along with vomiting may occur due to intense pain. The kidney stones trigger the GI tract and may cause stomach upset, vomiting, and nausea.
Fever and shivering
Fever and shivering indicate that there is some infection. This again needs emergency medical intervention.
Pink or red urine
If the urine is pink, brown, or red, there is a presence of blood in the urine. This condition is called hematuria. The doctor will perform several diagnostic tests to examine the condition.
When to seek emergency care?
Consult a doctor immediately if you are experiencing the following symptoms:
- Severe pain
- Unable to sit in a position
- Fever and shivering
- Blood in the urine
- Difficulty while passing the urine
- Nausea
- Vomiting
Stop your suffering NOW
Don't just jump into a surgery because your doctor is advising you to go for it. Consult our doctors to know if you need a surgery at all. Rest assured, we WON'T recommend you surgery unless it's the last resort.
What are the types of kidney stone procedures and surgeries?
Procedures and surgeries for kidney stones:
- Shock wave lithotripsy
- Ureteroscopy
- Percutaneous nephrolithotomy
- Open surgery
- Laser surgery
Shock wave lithotripsy (SWL)
It is a non-invasive procedure that does not involve any cuts or incisions. High-energy shock waves are administered to the kidney from the outside. The waves break the stones into smaller pieces.
A stent is placed in the ureter to help pass out the broken stones. The entire procedure takes about an hour. You will be allowed to go home the same day.
Doctors advise drinking lots of water to help flush out the stones.
If the stones are not removed entirely during the first SWL procedure, the doctor may perform the procedure again.
Ureteroscopy
This is again a non-invasive process for kidney stone removal.
A thin, flexible scope is passed through the ureter into the kidney to remove the stones.
If the stones are big, a laser is passed through the scope to break the stones.
A stent may be placed to drain the stones. You have to visit the doctor after a week or 10 days to remove the stent.
Percutaneous nephrolithotripsy
In this procedure, high-frequency sound waves or a laser are used to break the stones. This is done if the stones cannot be broken with lithotripsy.
A small cut is made on the side or the back to place the scope.
Vacuum or suction is used to remove the stones.
A stent is placed to drain out the urine. The procedure takes about 20-45 minutes. Hospital stay may be needed for 1-2 days.
Open surgery
Open surgery is a very rare surgery for kidney stones and is only done if the stone is too big to remove through other procedures.
It is also done if there is:
- Too much pain
- Infection
- Kidney damage
- Difficulty in urination due to stone blockage
- Blood in the urine
The surgery is done under general anesthesia. A cut is made on the side of the kidney to remove the stone. A stent is placed for urination.
An open surgery requires a hospital stay. A hospital You will need to stay in the hospital for a few days. Complete healing generally requires four to six weeks.
Laser surgery
This is a minimally invasive procedure. No cuts or incisions are done during this surgery.
A small ureteroscope with a camera is placed in the urethra and passed on through the bladder into the ureter and the kidney. Once the stone is located, the doctor transmits Holmium energy to break the stone into smaller pieces.
The doctor removes the broken stones in a small basket. The doctor also uses the Holmium energy to break the stones into dust so that they can be easily passed out through urine.
A temporary stent is placed into the ureter to allow urination and passing of stones.
The entire procedure generally takes around one hour to perform.
The stent is removed after one week.
Cost of laser kidney stone surgery in Bangalore
Laser kidney stone treatment is a minimally invasive safe procedure. This procedure is widely used and most preferred especially for those who want to avoid complications and an open surgery.
The cost may vary from ₹ 30,000 to ₹ 1,50,000.
There are several factors that determine the cost of laser kidney stone surgery such as:
- The type of hospital. The cost may be higher in a private hospital than in a government hospital
- Doctor’s fees
- Anaesthetist’s fees
- Severity of the disease
- Location and size of the stone
- Diagnostic tests
- Hospitalization fees
- Cost of postoperative care and medication
- Type of procedure
- Follow-up consultations
