Conditions & Treatments
Kidney Stones
As one of the region’s top kidney stone facilities, Einstein Healthcare Network’s experts combine cutting-edge treatment with preventative medicine and education to manage and eradicate kidney stones.
Using the most minimally invasive treatment options available, we develop personalized treatment plans focused on patient comfort and delivering the best possible outcomes.
Understanding Kidney Stones
Your kidneys serve an important function in your body, by removing waste products and excess fluid to create urine, helping to maintain a stable balance of body chemicals.
When crystal-forming substances such as calcium, oxalate and uric acid become too concentrated in urine, they can develop into kidney stones. In some cases, this can be caused by genetic conditions such as cystinuria, which prevents certain proteins from being reabsorbed into the bloodstream. Other risk factors may include a family history, frequent dehydration, diets high in sodium, obesity and other digestive diseases.
One in 11 adults in the United States will experience a kidney stone in their lifetime. Some kidney stones are as small as a grain of sand, but they can grow and require complex surgical treatment if left untreated. Symptoms that you may have kidney stones include:
- Severe pain in the side and back, below the ribs
- Pain that radiates to the lower abdomen and groin
- Pain that comes in waves and fluctuates in intensity
- Pain during urination
- Pink, red or brown urine
- Cloudy or foul-smelling urine
- Nausea and vomiting
Learn more about kidney stones from our infographic below.
Kidney Stone Treatments
Through Einstein’s Kidney Stone Center, our team offers a full range of kidney stone treatments, including:
If you are at high risk of developing kidney stones, our team at Einstein can help prevent kidney stones from occurring by evaluating your diet and lifestyle, and working with you to develop a personalized plan that may include medication, regular monitoring and lifestyle changes.
Using high-energy waves to break kidney stones into very small fragments that can easily be passed through urine, this minimally invasive, nonsurgical treatment is effective for smaller stones, but may not work on large or dense stones, or those in difficult locations.
Using a laser to break up kidney stones and a small telescope inserted through the urinary pathway to remove the fragments, this treatment requires no incision and is often used to remove larger stones. Multiple treatments may be required.
Large, dense or otherwise impervious kidney stones are typically removed using a device that is inserted directly into the kidney through a small 1-centimeter incision. A short hospital stay is required; however, the treatment is extremely effective and typically requires just one procedure.
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Reach out to a board-certified urologist at our convenient Philadelphia and Montgomery County Urology offices today.
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Learn More About Kidney Stones