Kidney & ureteric stones
From a single calculus to complex staghorn and multi-tract stone burdens, cleared by the least invasive route that will actually work.
What it is
Stones cause trouble in two different ways. A small stone moving down the ureter causes severe, colicky pain. A large stone sitting quietly in the kidney may cause no pain at all while slowly damaging the kidney behind it — which is why a painless stone still needs a plan.
The right operation depends on the size, position and hardness of the stone and on your own anatomy. Clearing the stone is only half the job; working out why it formed is what stops the next one.
Symptoms you may notice
- Severe pain in the loin, radiating to the groin
- Pain that comes in waves rather than staying constant
- Blood in the urine, visible or on testing
- Nausea and vomiting with the pain
- Burning on passing urine, or needing to go urgently
- Passing gravel or small stone fragments
Get seen promptly if
- Flank pain with fever or shaking chills — an infected, obstructed kidney is an emergency
- Pain in a single functioning kidney
- Passing no urine at all
How it is assessed
- Non-contrast CT of the kidneys, ureters and bladder — the definitive test
- Ultrasound, particularly in pregnancy and in children
- Urine culture before any procedure
- Kidney function and, where relevant, a metabolic stone screen
- Stone analysis after treatment, to guide prevention
What the options actually involve
Other conditions
Prostate cancer
Diagnosis, staging and robot-assisted radical prostatectomy, with treatment planned through a multidisciplinary tumour board.
Symptoms and treatmentKidney cancer
Partial and radical nephrectomy, with nephron-sparing surgery wherever the tumour allows it.
Symptoms and treatmentBladder cancer
TURBT, intravesical therapy and radical cystectomy with urinary diversion, staged properly from the outset.
Symptoms and treatmentHave a scan or report about this already?
Send it before your appointment. The consultation then starts from your findings rather than from scratch.