The severity of the pain associated with a kidney stone often prompts one to seek care at a hospital emergency room or urgent care clinic. Once the diagnosis of renal colic is confirmed, efforts are made to control pain. This may be achieved with oral painkillers (e.g. acetaminophen with codeine) or intravenous medications such as morphine. Anti-inflammatory medications (e.g. indomethacin or diclofenac) in tablet or suppository form may also be useful.

Many kidney stones are small enough to pass out with the urine in a few days. Others may take several weeks to pass. A physician can often predict how likely the stone will pass on its own based on its size and location. Once the stone drops into the bladder, the pain will quickly resolve. Drinking plenty of water (2 to 3 liters per day) will encourage urine flow and may assist stone passage. A physician may recommend a daily oral medication called an alpha-blocker (e.g. tamsolusin or Flomax™) to help the muscle of the ureter relax and facilitate stone passage.

The majority of kidney stones cannot be dissolved. However, one form (uric acid stone) may occasionally disintegrate when the urine is made less acid with medication (alkalinization). It is important to try to collect any stone passed so that it can be analyzed to determine its chemical make-up. This will allow a physician to advise measures to reduce the risk of further stone formation.

When pain is difficult to control or the stone becomes lodged and fails to pass, a physician will recommend additional treatment. A fever (greater than 38.5oC) or chills suggests the possibility of infection and indicates the need for more urgent treatment. There are a number of ways to treat a stone causing renal colic. The type of treatment recommended will depend on a number of factors, including your general health, as well as the type, size and location of your stone.

Shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) (“stone crushing”) is a non-surgical treatment in which high energy shock waves are used to pulverize a stone into smaller fragments which may pass more easily and with less pain. A special machine (which may not be available at your local hospital) is used to generate shock waves. X-rays or ultrasound are used to focus the shock waves precisely on the stone. The shock waves pass harmlessly through body tissues until they hit the hard stone causing it to break up. The fragments can then flush out more easily in the urine. SWL may not be appropriate for larger stones or for those that are difficult to locate on X-ray.

Ureteroscopy is a procedure in which a narrow telescope is passed through the urethra (urinary tube) and bladder, into the ureter up to the stone.

This surgical procedure requires some form of anaesthesia. Most cases will require a general anaesthetic (you are “put to sleep”) or spinal anaesthetic (a needle in the back “freezes” the patient below the waist and remains conscious). Some cases can be performed comfortably with sedation alone. Once visualized through the scope, the stone can then be removed by trapping it in a wire “basket” and carefully pulling it out. Various instruments including lasers are available to fragment larger stones and allow their passage or removal. Upon completion of the procedure, a thin plastic tube (ureteric stent) may be placed temporarily in the ureter to prevent blockage while any swelling resolves. Overnight hospitalization may be recommended.

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is a surgical procedure in which kidney stones are removed using a scope passed through a small skin incision made in the flank or the back into the kidney containing the stone(s). The procedure is usually recommended for patients with kidney stones which are too large or numerous for shock wave lithotripsy or ureteroscopy. This procedure is carried out in a hospital or surgical centre with appropriate anaesthetic and hospital admission for a few days.