Kidney stones, if left untreated for a long period of time, may cause renal insufficiency, induce urinary tract infection, cancer, or lead to ureteral stones and other injuries.
1. Renal insufficiency caused by kidney stones is caused by stone-induced urinary tract obstruction, increased intrarenal pressure and decreased glomerular filtration rate.
2. Long-term obstruction of the urinary tract easily breeds bacteria and induces urinary tract infections.
3. Long-term stimulation of the urinary tract epithelium by stones leads to higher chances of cancerous transformation of the urinary tract epithelium.
4. Some kidney stones can trigger ureteral stones due to changes in body position and other reasons.
The diagnosis of kidney stone mainly depends on medical history and imaging examination, and the commonly used imaging examinations are ultrasonography, X-ray, CT and so on. Commonly used treatments are medication, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, percutaneous nephrolithotripsy and lithotripsy, ureteral lithotripsy and lithotripsy. The appropriate treatment plan should be chosen according to the specific factors such as stone location, size, and systemic condition.