Also called: Urolithiasis
A kidney stone is a solid piece of material that forms in the kidney from substances in the urine. It may be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a pearl. Most kidney stones pass out of the body without help from a doctor. But sometimes a stone will not go away. It may get stuck in the urinary tract, block the flow of urine and cause great pain.
The following may be signs of kidney stones that need a doctor's help:
- Extreme pain in your back or side that will not go away
- Blood in your urine
- Fever and chills
- Vomiting
- Urine that smells bad or looks cloudy
- A burning feeling when you urinate
—National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Start Here
- Kidney Stones (Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player
Spanish - Kidney Stones in Adults (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
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Overviews
- JAMA Patient Page: Kidney Stones (American Medical Association)
Spanish - Kidney Stones (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- What I Need to Know about Kidney Stones (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Spanish
Latest News
- Naturally Occurring Bacteria Cut Kidney Stone Recurrence (03/05/2008, HealthDay)
Diagnosis/Symptoms
- Abdominal Pain, Short-Term (American Academy of Family Physicians)
- Calcium Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
- Intravenous Pyelogram (Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player
Spanish - Ultrasound - Abdomen (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)
Spanish - Uric Acid Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
Treatment
- Cystoscopy - Men (Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player
Spanish - Cystoscopy - Women (Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player
Spanish - Kidney Stone Treatment (Cleveland Clinic Foundation)
- Kidney Stones: Do Home Remedies Work? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Lithotripsy (National Kidney Foundation)
Nutrition
- Diet and Kidney Stones (National Kidney Foundation)
Spanish
Specific Conditions
- Management of Ureteral Stones (American Urological Association)
- What Is Hyperoxaluria and Oxalosis? (Oxalosis and Hyperoxaluria Foundation)
Related Issues
- Your Joint Replacement: Urological Procedures & Antibiotics (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
Tutorials
- Cystoscopy - Men (Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player
Spanish - Cystoscopy - Women (Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player
Spanish - Intravenous Pyelogram (Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player
Spanish - Kidney Stones (Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player
Spanish
Videos
- Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program
Anatomy/Physiology
- Your Kidneys and How They Work (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Spanish
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Kidney Calculi (National Institutes of Health)
Genetics
- Genetics Home Reference: Cystinuria (National Library of Medicine)
Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Urinary trefoil factor 1 is a novel potent inhibitor of...
- Article: Safety and efficacy of flexible ureterorenoscopy and holmium:YAG lithotripsy for...
- Article: Characterization of human renal stones with MDCT: advantage of dual...
- Kidney Stones -- see more articles
Dictionaries/Glossaries
- Kidney Diseases Dictionary (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Directories
- Directory of Kidney and Urologic Diseases Organizations (National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse)
- Find a Urologist (American Urological Association)
Organizations
- American Urological Association
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- National Kidney Foundation
- Oxalosis and Hyperoxaluria Foundation
Statistics
- Kidney and Urologic Diseases Statistics for the United States (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Related Topics
National Institutes of Health
The primary NIH organization for research on “Kidney Stones” is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
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Page last reviewed on April 15, 2008