If you ever faced an acute renal colic, you know the pain. It’s described as ‘worse than childbirth’. Acute renal colic is usually caused by kidney stones blocking the urine flow from the kidney to the bladder.
Occasionally, patients with acute renal colic or kidney stone pain can also have a UTI (urinary tract infection) which could be a very dangerous combination and requires immediate treatment with a surgical procedure called ureteral stent insertion or percutaneous nephrostomy.
Patients with underlying kidney insufficiency or other medical problems may also need immediate intervention. Some patients may need cystoscopy and ureteroscopy to break kidney stones; others lithotripsy or ESWL for kidney stones.
Some patients may be able to manage acute renal colic without surgery and pass the stone spontaneously but it should be only done under careful watch of an experienced urologist.
Longer term, careful evaluation to prevent kidney stones is well worth the effort.