Learn about bladder stones

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by MSc Vo Thien Ngon - Urology Surgery Doctor, Vinmec International Hospital Da Nang.
Bladder stones are one of the more common urinary stones in men than women. The disease is the cause of lower abdominal pain, painful urination, frequent urination, hematuria... if left for a long time, it can be dangerous to the health of the patient. So are bladder stones dangerous? How are bladder stones treated?

1. What are bladder stones?

Bladder stones are hard mineral fragments that appear in the bladder. Bladder stones often occur when you do not empty the bladder completely; urine clumps together and forms mineral crystals called stones.

2. Symptoms of bladder stones

Stones that appear in the small bladder can spontaneously fall out when urinating without causing any problems. As the stones grow larger, the patient faces a number of symptoms such as:
Lower abdominal pain: When the bladder stones form and roll back and forth in the bladder, the patient will feel pain in the lower abdomen. dull or intense; Penile pain or discomfort in men; Difficulty urinating, painful urination or interrupted urine flow: This is a phenomenon of blocked urine stream accompanied by painful genital pain symptoms. This condition usually increases with the patient's movement and movement and decreases with rest; Urinary urgency, frequent urination: The existence of stones in the bladder can cause urinary obstruction, thereby causing urinary incontinence, many times a day; Hematuria or dark urine: This is an infection of the kidney and bladder is the cause of cloudy urine. When urinating, small bladder stones can follow the outside and rub against the urinary tract causing bleeding, thereby causing blood in the urine.

3. Causes of bladder stones

Prolapsed bladder: In women, the bladder wall can weaken and prolapse into the vagina, which can block urine flow and form bladder stones; Prostate enlargement : In men, when the prostate gland enlarges, it blocks the flow of urine and causes urine to pool in the bladder; Neurogenic bladder syndrome: Nerves send signals from your brain to your bladder muscles. If they are damaged or damaged due to certain diseases, the bladder will not work as efficiently and lead to bladder stones; Inflammation: With cystitis, stones can form; Medical devices: Medical devices placed in your bladder such as catheters and birth control devices can also cause stone formation; Kidney Stones: Kidney stones are small in size and can float down the bladder through the ureters and become bladder kidney stones if not removed.

4. Subjects at risk of bladder stone disease

Gender: Bladder stones mainly occur in men; Age: Bladder stones tend to occur in people 50 years of age and older; People with diseases: prostate enlargement, prostate cancer, prostate cancer, urethral stricture due to infection or surgery that obstructs the bladder outlet; People with sequelae of stroke, spinal cord injury, Parkinson's disease, herniated disc, diabetes,...

5. Are bladder stones dangerous?

When the bladder stone is large, it will cause cystitis. Inflammation of the bladder caused by stones is a common complication because large stones damage the bladder lining, when contracted, the stones rub many times against the mucosa causing inflammation, ulceration and infection, even bleeding;
Acute cystitis if not treated promptly will lead to chronic inflammation, which can cause bladder atrophy or bladder fistula due to the constant change in urine output.
Bladder stones can also cause very dangerous complications such as nephritis caused by retrograde infection and kidney failure. These are complications that cause many difficulties for treatment, greatly affect the economy, even endanger life; Complications of bladder, perineal or vaginal fistula (women), causing urine to leak through the vagina or anus, causing many inconveniences in daily life and infection; In some cases, large bladder stones can cause complete urinary retention, causing urine to pool in the bladder, causing the bladder to swell, creating a "bladder bridge" above the pubic bone.

6. Bladder Stone Treatment

Treatment of bladder stones by the following methods:
If the stones in the bladder are small, just drink a lot of water to remove stones from the body by urine stream; When a stone is too large and stuck in the bladder, the doctor will usually treat it with surgery or the following procedures: Lithotripsy : The doctor will perform an endoscopy of the urethra (the hole at the tip of the penis, or hole) urine above the vagina), stones can be seen through a camera mounted on the endoscope and broken up using a laser or sound wave machine. The patient will be anesthetized before the surgery. Complications from this procedure are rare, but can sometimes cause infection. You may need to take antibiotics before the procedure to reduce the risk of infection;
Surgical removal of bladder stones: If the stones are so large that they cannot be dissolved, the doctor will perform surgery to remove them.
Bladder stones are a disease that causes many dangerous complications. Therefore, patients need to go to reputable medical facilities, which are fully equipped with modern equipment to best support diagnosis and treatment, to avoid long-term illness that can cause dangerous complications to their health. network.
Currently, endoscopic laser vaporization for bladder stone treatment is being implemented in hospitals under Vinmec Health System with C-Arm system, intraoperative ultrasound machine to help locate the exact location. , the size of the stone helps the surgeon monitor the condition of the stone during and after surgery, limiting complications during and after surgery.
The most modern Hybrid operating room in the world, integrating the operating room and advanced imaging facilities (CT scan, MRI, ultrasound...) helps to reduce surgery time and bring effective surgery. best technique for the patient.
In general anesthesia, Vinmec adheres to anesthesia protocols, anesthesia safety guidelines, anesthesia checklists for 100% of surgeries to minimize incidents and unwanted effects. In addition, patients receive comprehensive care, meals, rest, exercise, thoughtful health education, comfortable rooms, and confidential patient information.

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