Those who have suffered it assure that it is the most painful thing they have ever felt, more than childbirth. We talk about the colic of o renal colic a disease caused by the presence of calculi or stones inside the kidneys or urinary tract.
-
According to data from the , the renal colic It is an extremely common pathology, which affects between 5 and 12% of the population of industrialized countries and is more common in men.
It is something so common that it represents between 30 and 40% of urological emergencies, and 3.5% of all hospital emergencies.
What is renal colic and how does it hurt?
The cause of is due in 90% of cases to the formation of small stones (kidney stones) that block the urethra.
-
As urology experts explain, the consequence of this obstruction, which can be partial or complete, manifests abruptly and a extreme pain in the lower backwhich has nothing to do with a muscular or bone issue.
From the AEU they explain that this pain radiates “to the flank, inguinal region and genital area” and it could be accompanied by other discomforts such as vomiting, nausea, excessive sweating, general malaise.
In addition to all these symptoms, those who have already suffered an episode of this type know that the appearance of blood in the urine, the continuous urge to urinate or itching when doing sothey can end in an unpleasant crisis of renal colic.
A y urine, an ultrasound or an x-ray are usually sufficient for diagnosis.
Treatments for renal colic
Once diagnosed, it is time to treat the patient who is suffering the consequences of renal colic. And the most common is that they are used conservative drug treatments to relieve pain, since the most normal thing is for the patient to expel the kidney stones little by little.
-
Thus, the AEU specialists explain that the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as ibuprofen, diclofenac, or metamizole), alternating with paracetamol, give good results in relieving symptoms.
On the contrary, and despite the fame that the antispasmolytic drugs (Buscapin®) have among those who have suffered colic of this type, urologists are in favor of avoiding its use
-
“Because it has been shown that they do not improve pain and can even delay the expulsion of the”.
In some cases it is enough to take these medications, but in others it is not enough. Thus, there are two other formulas to try to eliminate kidney and/or urinary tract stones.
One of them is the placement of a catheter until the stones are completely expelled, and the other is lithotripsy.
What is extracorporeal lithotripsy?
From the explain that extracorporeal lithotripsy andIt is one of the most common treatments to treat most renal lithiasis.
The objective of this technique is to fragment the calculations or stones so that the patient can expel them from the body through urine.
-
It’s about a non-invasive procedure consisting of stone fragmentation in the upper urinary tract (kidney and ureter), larger than 5 mm in diameter, turning them into spontaneously expellable remains. To do this, it uses shock waves.
Until a few years ago, this technique was done through a bathtubbut with the latest and modern equipment, currently it is applied dry on a stretcher and with the patient sedated to avoid discomfort.
Once prepared, the waves pass through the body until they hit the kidney stones and break them into tiny pieces that will later be expelled in the urine.
-
“The procedure lasts between 45 and 60 minutes and It is performed under sedation, on an outpatient basis, and can be applied to most kidney stones. and ureters, as long as they are between 5 and 20 millimeters in size”, explain the specialists from Sagrat Cor.
Sometimes, a single session will suffice to reduce the stones and thus help their expulsion, but on other occasions not. Therefore, this treatment can be repeated on more than one occasion and has a quick recovery.