2023-06-29 09:03:33
Kidney stones have literally always been a pain. Formed from crystals found in urine within the urinary tract, they are hard, crystalline deposits that can settle both in the kidney and within the ureter. The experts from the blog “Salud y prevención” explain percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL surgery), a minimally invasive surgical procedure.
Photo provided by Quirónsalud
Kidney stones are made up of different types of substances depending on their chemical composition. There are calcium, uric acid, struvite or cystine stones and their production is related to the consumption of some foods, decreased water intake or certain anatomical or metabolic factors.
“This is a fairly common pathology and, although it is difficult to know its prevalence exactly, the latest data from the Spanish Society of Nephrology suggest that between 5 and 12 percent of the population in industrialized countries may suffer renal lithiasis (that is, calculations) before the age of 70”, affirms the doctor Juan Lealurologist of the Quirónsalud Sacred Heart Hospital of Sevilla.
Depending on the composition, the deposits can be as small as grains of sand or as large as a golf ball. In general, they have a common characteristic: they are very painful – the pain can settle on the side or in the lower part of the abdomen – and they can also cause nausea, vomiting and blood in the urine.
PCNL Surgery for Kidney Stones
Treatment of kidney stones depends on their size and location. In some cases, the little ones can pass on their own without further treatment. In others, medications may be needed to help dissolve them.
In general, it is important to drink plenty of water to help flush out the deposits. In addition, it is convenient to adjust the diet to prevent the formation of new stones. Some foods that can increase the risk of kidney stones are those highest in oxalate, such as spinach, beets, chocolate, and nuts.
Until a few years ago, conventional surgery was the only valid alternative for the removal of large stones, with more than two centimeters, with all the risks and inconveniences that this type of intervention entails.
Today there are other alternatives such as percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL surgery)a minimally invasive surgical procedure that is performed through a small incision in the skin.
He Dr. Francisco Rivera, urologist at Hospital Quirónsalud Sagrado Corazónexplains that PCNL surgery consists of creating an access through the skin to the urinary tract and being able to break or extract kidney stones.
“A puncture is made through the skin from which the renal cavities are accessed to directly visualize the kidney stone to be treated and fragment it with a laser,” explains Dr. Francisco Rivera.
Urologists Juan Leal and Francisco Rivera from the Quirónsalud Sagrado Corazón Hospital in Seville. Courtesy photo.
This painless technique has a higher resolution rate than any other endoscopic surgery to treat large kidney stones that have not been eliminated through urine.
Patients who undergo this surgery are benefited not only by the results it offers when it comes to removing stones, but also by the minimum hospitalization required and the almost absence of postoperative pain.
Patients only require a hospital admission of 24-48 hours and relative rest, without the need to carry probes or other external urological devices once they are discharged.
The only drawback, so to speak, is that PCNL surgery requires specific resources and a significant learning curve, which has led to its slow implementation for the treatment of renal lithiasis.
“Very specialized material is necessary, a surgical area equipped with the latest technology and highly trained specialists who apply it”, explain the experts from the Quirónsalud Sagrado Corazón Hospital, who ensure that, as this technique of routinely, it will become a benchmark and “considerably improve the quality of life of patients with large kidney stones.”
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