1.What is gout stone? Gout stone, also known as gout nodule, is a white crystal precipitated in a part of the body due to excessive elevation of uric acid in the blood, exceeding its saturation, just like a white deposit will appear at the bottom of a glass of salt water after the amount of salt exceeds a certain limit. Gout stones can be formed in almost all tissues of gout patients, except for the central nervous system. Some gouty stones cannot be seen with the naked eye, but can be seen as white needle-like crystals under a polarized light microscope. These tiny crystals can trigger the onset of gouty arthritis and can also cause destruction of joint cartilage and bone, fibrosis of surrounding tissues, resulting in chronic joint swelling, pain, stiffness, deformity, and even fracture. Some gout stones are deposited on the surface of the body, such as around the ears and joints, and can be seen by our naked eyes. Some gout stones are also deposited in the kidneys, causing kidney stones and inducing renal colic. 2, the gout stones of the body surface gout nodules tend to occur in the joint extension, tendons and the surface of the bone protrusion. The common site is the outer ear, especially the ear whorl (typical) and the opposite ear whorl; followed by the first metatarsophalangeal joint of the foot, ankle, fingers, wrist, ulnar hawk, knee capsule and Achilles tendon. 3.Characteristics of gout stones (1) Sesame-egg-sized, yellowish-white nodules protruding from the skin. (2) The texture is hard, (3) the surface is thin, and the white paste (uric acid crystals) is discharged after rupture, although it does not heal, but rarely secondary infection, because uric acid can inhibit the growth of bacteria. (4) The number varies, generally 1-10. 4, gout stone X-ray performance of pure uric acid stones, also known as soft stones, X-ray can pass through, so can not be found in the ordinary X-ray film flat. However, the presence of stones can be confirmed by pyelogram; if the stones contain calcium salts, they are hard stones and can be seen in plain X-ray. We cannot deny the existence of gout stones if no stones are found in plain X-ray film. It is worth noting that 40% of patients with urinary stones can appear before gouty arthritis, even over 10 years before. The higher the blood uric acid level, the greater the chance of gouty stone. Gout stones can occur in 50% of patients with blood uric acid levels above 535, 32umolML. In addition, 20% of patients with gout stones are prone to urinary tract stones. Therefore, it is very important to control the blood uric acid level to reduce the formation of gout stones and reduce the damage to the kidney. 6, the relationship between gout stones and the course of the disease gout stones mostly occur in patients who have had the disease for about 10 years. The time between the first attack of gout and the formation of gout stones is 4-42 years, with an average of 11 or 6 years. The longer the duration of the disease, the more gout stones there are. The incidence of gout stones is about 10% for those with <5 years of disease, 55% for those with 5-20 years, and 70% for those with >20 years. The formation of gout stones seen by the naked eye is a sign that the course of gout has become chronic. 7, how to deal with gout stones (1) alkalinization of urine: alkalinization of urine is conducive to the dissolution and excretion of uric acid salts, especially for the prevention of uric acid kidney stones and gouty nephropathy is of great significance. This includes eating more alkaline food and rational application of alkaline drugs, but this is often not taken seriously. (2)Treatment of uric acid-lowering drugs:There are indications for uric acid-lowering drug therapy, and it is generally considered that uric acid-lowering drugs should be applied in the following cases: acute gouty arthritis with more than 2-3 episodes per year, with gouty stones, manifestations of kidney damage, or those whose blood uric acid is still significantly elevated by dietary control. (3) Surgery: If the gout stone is not large and does not affect the function of organs, surgery is not necessary because surgical removal of gout stone does not cure the disease, but only in the following cases: gout stone affects the function of joints or compression of nerves; removal of necrotic fingers (toes) or correction of deformed joints due to uric acid erosion; removal of huge gout stone to reduce the burden on the kidneys; surgery should be performed after the blood uric acid is normal. To prevent surgery-induced acute gouty arthritis, it is best to take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs before and within one week after surgery.