A variety of conditions can cause kidney stones. Each individual patient may suffer from different underlying conditions that cause him or her to form stones.

In patients with risk factors for recurrent kidney stone formation, we offer comprehensive medical evaluation to determine the specific conditions causing their kidney stones.

Risk factors include the following:

• More than one kidney stone during one’s lifetime
• Family history of kidney stones
• Diabetes
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Weight loss surgery such as gastric bypass or gastric banding
• Surgery to remove a portion of the intestines
• Chronic diarrhea
• Hereditary kidney stone conditions such as cystinuria and primary hyperoxaluria
• Hyperparathyroidism
• Obesity
• Spinal cord injury

We strongly encourage patients with a history of kidney stones in certain professions in which recurrent stones can create an emergent situation -- such as pilots, business travelers, long-haul truckers, and surgeons -- to undergo comprehensive medical evaluations, regardless of risk factors.

Comprehensive medical evaluations entail the collection of 24-hour urine specimens at home and blood tests at the clinic. The blood and urine specimens are sent to a lab and analyzed for a variety of stone forming risk factors.

Once a patient’s specific risk factors are identified, dietary modification or medication is initiated to prevent future stone episodes.

Our preventive interventions are up to 90 percent effective at preventing future stones from forming, as well as preventing any existing stones from growing. We then repeat the 24-hour urine collection at intervals of three to six months to ensure that our treatment for prevention is effective.

When patients are stable on their preventative therapy, we follow them annually with repeat 24-hour urine collections and occasional imaging to assess for new stone formation or growth of existing stones.

Physicians

Physicians offering this service include:

• Ferrandino, Michael N.
  • Surgery / Urology
• Preminger, Glenn M.
  • Surgery / Urology

Locations

This service is available at:

• Duke Urology
  Duke Clinic 1G, 40 Duke Medicine Circle, Durham, NC 27710