What are the dangers of urinary stones?

  Urinary stones, including kidney stones, ureteral stones, bladder stones, and urethral stones, have many hazards: ① Stones can directly cause damage, obstruction, infection, and even malignant transformation of the urinary tract.  ② Direct stimulation of the stone itself can cause congestion, edema, and even erosion or detachment of the urinary tract mucosa.  Some large stones or stones embedded in the lumen may cause local ulcers, granulomas or scarring strictures, which may occasionally be complicated by malignant changes.  The most important pathological changes after stone obstruction in the urinary tract are hydronephrosis and renal function impairment, depending on the site and degree of obstruction. Due to the thin lumen of the ureter, the degree of obstruction is often severe, which can easily lead to progressive renal damage, mainly manifested by increased pressure in the renal pelvis, collecting ducts and interstitium, dilatation of the renal pelvis and calyces, as well as decreased glomerular filtration rate and renal plasma flow. If the obstruction persists, irreversible damage to renal function will occur to a certain extent.  ⑤ When urinary tract stones are combined with obstruction, urinary tract infection may sometimes occur due to urinary stagnation, which in turn may trigger the precipitation and precipitation of crystals, resulting in rapid increase in the size of the existing stones, which further aggravates the urinary tract obstruction, thus forming a vicious circle.