We’ve gathered a collection of kidney stone pictures in this photo gallery. The stones include small passed stones up to large staghorn stones. Stone composition (or type) is indicated when available.
3 stone fragments that were removed during percutaneous surgery.
A 7 mm stone successfully passed by a patient. Comprised of calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate.
Fragments of an orginally 1.1 cm stone treated with laser lithotripsy and removed during ureteroscopy. Comprised of calcium oxalate.
A 1.4 cm and a 5 mm stone removed percutaneously from a kidney.
Collection of carbonate apatite stones removed percutaneously from a kidney.
2mm and 4mm uric acid stones removed with ureteroscopy.
Multiple large smooth kidney stones removed percutaneously from a single kidney. Largest stone measures 1.2 cm in size. Analysis demonstrated 70% calcium oxalate monohydrate and 30% calcium phosphate.
Multiple small kidney stones with the appearance of bird seed. Removed with ureteroscopy from a single kidney. Largest stone measured 4mm in size. Analysis demonstrated 85% calcium oxalate monohydrate and 15% calcium phosphate.
File photo of large bladder stones removed by open incision. These have a “jackstone” appearance.
File photo of a large “staghorn” kidney stone removed intact by open surgery. The various parts of this stone fill up an entire kidney’s central collecting system, giving it a characteristic shape appearing similar to a deer’s antlers. Stones this size are not commonly seen intact anymore as most are now treated percutaneously and broken up before being removed.
File photo of another large “staghorn” stone removed by open surgery.
An uss showed that i have a 5cm stone. My physician told me not to worry about it, but i cant stop worrying. What will happen to the stone if I dont get it removed? Can someone please help me with information
I sure hope you had the kidney stone removed. I’m surprised to hear that your doctor said it’d be ok if you don’t have it removed. They can grow larger and give you agonizing pain. I hope you’re ok now.
It depends on where the stone is located, if it is inside the kidney they say it can sit there and not move depending on the location inside the kidney and you should have ultra sounds or xrays occasionally or if you feel any pain. Sometime you can pass that size it depends on where and the shape of it. I have had many stones and different procedures over the years and currently have a 5cm and 6 cm in each kidney. I started pure raw coconut water (Harmless Havest) and make smoothies with it. It is a little pricey but I have drinking it 3 -4 times a wk for about 6 wks now. It is suppose to dissolve them. I have to say it really worked, i passes some small bits 2 wks ago then I felt a lot of pain and just passed a very large stone. It may have been one of the two I knew about or it may have been a new one that had formed. I had ctscan done just before it passed so I will know the answer to that next wk at my follow up. If you want to try the coconut water I buy it at Whole foods in the refrigerated section, I don’t like drinking it straight so i make smoothies with it,yogurt,any kind of fruit and a little juice of any kind.That way it tastes great. You can find the brand on facebook or on the internet and email them with a retail location near you.Good luck.
Hi, I have read your comment on line and I have a 5mm and a 6mm one in each kidney as well as a couple of others.Have you had the results of the cat scan yet.I would be interested in hearing your results
I am around 35. I felt pain at my left lower ribs and feel of inactive all the time. It was so frequent, and suspect that it would be kidney stone. I took altrasound three more times. Some times investigated, and other times not.The Doctors perscribed water, nothing more. As they ordered me i am taking on average 5-6 litters of water per day, but despite reducing the pain noting comes out.
I feel pain again while the water reduces. So what should I do.
See if you can find a physician who is willing to order a stone protocol CT scan. Stone protocol means that the CT scan is done without IV or oral contrast. CT imaging is more useful than ultrasound imaging for diagnosing stones in the urinary tract. If you do indeed have a stone, the CT will show the size and location and will indicate whether or not you may be able to pass the stone on your own.
My urologist calls me a stoner as I produce many stone. At first it was hard to believe but mr doctor asked me to retain them and track them.i don’t produce stones every month. Here is what o have recorded.
Over 37 months of producing stones, I recorded 328 averaging 8.86 per month.if you include all the months for the entire period (62 months) including stone free months, I averaged 5.29 per month. Size ranges from 1mm to 6mm with average about 2mm. Pain is enormous for the larger ones and the smaller usually are from mild discomfort to very painful depending on their shape. The most painful resembled a childs jack toy. Friday I passed one that was obloid flat and sharp. Some have hooks and barbs which adds to the pai . I take flomax when an event starts. Increased hydration helps. The larger and odd shaped ones usuaaly cause me to urinate blood. My doctors found no obvious root cause or illness. I am in my late 40s.
In December 2012 I was diagnosed with a 2CM staghorn kidney stone at the age of 22. It has been the longest diagnosis and I hope no one has to go through pain day in and day out with doctors mis diagnosing again and again. I started having pains everyday in my right lower side with some back acke back in June. It came in waves but I chose to battle through trying to ignore it as I just started a new career. I then went a & e as I thought it may be appendix, I was given an xray and sent home with nothing just to take paracetamol and that as I’m 22 it be a sti. They did not look or take into account my past history with urine infections. A month pasted and the pain gradually worsened several trips to a and e in tears being sent home from work, they gave me an ultrasound as they thought I had cysts on ovaries. Another month passes another trip to a&e this time I asked could it be a kidney stone another xray later and no it wasn’t detected sent home with tramadol and again to ask me to go get checked for a sexual disease. It was now Xmas time and with tramadol making me dizzy I carried on working through it not being able to tell colleges there was anything wrong with me after so many appointments. I then went back to gp who referred me to go and see a specialist doctor that dealt with chrons disease, I had no vomiting or diarrhoea but thought why not, a appointment would be months so not wanting to wait any longer I paid 200 pounds to see him private. He performed A chlonoscopy under sedation this was a horrible process where I had to prepare my bowel and never want to go trough again. Of course there was nothing and my bowel was perfect. He then sent me to have a ct scan before Xmas which showed the 2cm staghorn. I was so relived they found something causing me such agony but obviously I was on a waking list to have it out. I was given antibiotics as I had a bad infection around it and lots more tramdol which wasnt great at Xmas, on Xmas eve I had a severe attack and couldn’t take it anymore it had been 6 months and I was angry my tramdol wasn’t working and I was throwing up, they said I was urgent case to then find out I was 40th on the list. The news was unbearable I had quit my job and the pain was getting me down. I spent Xmas day at emergency doctors where the doctor was shocked at my misdiagnosis and said I still have lots of blood in urine so keep taking antibiotics and gave me different pain relief. It was now January and I had to sit and wait, I had another attack and went a &e as no tabs we’re working and I was worried it was moving. I went in at 10 and put on a drip and depositories were given and they worked finally pain free. I then had another xray to see if it had moved and it hadn’t still stuck at 2cm wedged, I then went home with depositories and waited and finally have my date next week for keyhole cannot wait. Obviously very angry no xray ultrasound ever showed it up and doctors never followed up the fact I had alot of cystitis 2 years ago. Urologist said it’s had 2 years of growth hense unusual at my age.
I feel for you having gone through a similar situation. Mines currently stuck and I am waiting for a Urology appointment to sort it.
My 5 yr old daughter was recently diagnosed with a 2 cm staghorn kidney stone and has been referred to a specialist. The Doctor said this problem is likely congenital, and has to do with a defect in the kidney and/or bladder (which can sometimes kick urine back up the tube)…both these things can be corrected when they romove the kidney stone.
I was just admitted to the hospital today through the emergency room with a 5 cm staghorn.
Where do you live? A waiting list for such a simple proceedure?
Had 1st kidney stone attack mid May 2012. 4 more attacks in the next 5 weeks. Each time ended up in ER on tordal and morphine and IV fluids. Once pain subsided I was sent home each time. Small 2mm stone was stuck and had to be removed via Lythroscopy and had stent installed for 1 week afterwards due to swelling of left kidney. This was in July 2012. Still experiencing pain similiar to what I had prior to full blown attack pain in left flank. Have had MRI, CT scan and several Ultrasounds and all show nothing. What could be causing continuous pain? I am a 41 year old otherwise healthy female.
Very informative photos. Thank you.
Just passed a 13 mm stone this morning. I was set to have it removed next week. Glad it came out on its own. I was my 3rd stone. The others had to be removed as they wouldn’t pass. I was expecting there to be extreme pain but it came out without any pain at all.
I got one that’s 9mm they told me I can’t passed it. Ain’t 13mm bigger then 9 smh.
I recently checked in to the emergency room with severe lower back pain. After having a CT scan they found a 15mm stone in my right kidney. It was decided to have it lasered and a kidney stent put in. I was put out for the procedure which lasted just over 3 hours. It took me 3 days to recover in the hospital, staying on IV fluids and antibiotics. The stent was left in for 7 days and was taken out quickly during outpatient procedure. I have to say the stent was probably more painful than the stone itself. My doctor is going to do another xray in a month to make sure all the fragments are gone as I still had 3 large pieces when he checked before removing the stent. He also has me on some meds to keep the fragments from sticking together…. high doses of potassium… have to say my doctor is excellent, got lucky! Good luck to those going through this… it sucked.
In 2010 after going through a year of endless pain and uti after uti I was diagnosed with a 6 CM staghorn kidney stone in my left kidney. 2 days after getting heart clearance for my surgical lipto, i was admitted into through the ER for an life/death fastomy surgery. (Basically the long untreated “kidney stone” caused me to have flesh eating disease.) It took me 9 months for me to heal, and after my last bandage came off, I was admitted through the ER for a 200 ml abcess in the muscle lining under the kidney. I was told that now so long had passed, the kidney could not be saved anymore. I needed the kidney totally removed. It took me 6 months to heal from that surgery which was 12/12/12. I got my heart clearance on 12/14/12, but that night was admitted through the ER again and today they removed 420ML of infectious sludge from the lining for a second time. My point being I did all the right things, didn’t know why I kept having UTI’s and an incompetent. So my thoughts are be careful of the doctors you choose and who you spend your hard earned money on. You could end up like I did with a 12CM staghorn kidney stone, a kidney that no longer functions, and a kidney that needs to be removed.
i have 5 kidney stones ranging in size from 2mm to almost 5mm plus on to of that i have had to have a biopsy of my cervics done at the same time as my kidney stones trying to pass i was wondering if there was any home edies i could use forthe pain because the hospital acts like im just there because i am addicted to the pain medsand it isnt anything like that i just want to fel better…. any suggestions???????
i read in my natural remedies book that a ginger compress works well for pain. use a fresh piece of ginger from the grocer about the size of your palm,tie it up in a piece of cheese cloth with a long string, boil water in a large pot, put ginger root in boiling water, reduce heat and let steep, use string to pull out ginger and squeeze (careful! its hot!) put it back in water. soak a wash cloth in water and wringout, place warm damp towel on flank near kidney for aprox 30-45 min re soaking the cloth now and again to keep it warm.
Just passed my first-and-hopefully-last kidney stone. I feel like a total wuss after reading these posts. (Mine was maybe 2 mm). My question is whether you can tell composition by appearance. Mine was chocolate brown and had small rounded protrusions like a hail stone. Anxious to find out what this guy was so I know what to do/ not to do in the future. Any information is appreciated.
The type of stone you describe is most likely calcium oxalate in nature. However, laboratory chemical analysis of the stone is the only way to know for sure as stones can sometimes be made up of a mix of several different types.
You are supposed to keep the stone and give it to your Urologist. They will examine it, tell you what is made up of and you can ask them to refer you to a specialist that will go over a diet you should be on if you do not want them re occuring
The people that keep repeating stones why is that? I have a stone in my left kidney and I’m scared to death its my first one and don’t want any more and I feel like its dirty…
Hello, My name is Tina, I have seen two different doctors both making references about the size of my kidney stone.Statements such as Gigantic stone, largest I have seen ect. How can I get a visual idea on what is a large kidney stone.
I had my first stone in 1991 (include vomiting and blood) and another in 1996 (I fainted in the emergency room). Now, in July, I was dignose with multiple kidney stones, the larger 15mm. I was schedule for removal on Sept 1 but I cancelled and decided to try natural remedies (Stone Breaker tables). My cousins, recommended to me after been scheduled to have it removed but also decided to go for the stone breaker. He is now stones free. So I have been trying it myself for the past 3 month. I will go for a sonogram next month to see if it works. I still have paints in the back right side and sometime i feel something whe I peeing. Since I never had a chance to see the stones, I don’t know what I am looking for (I am checking when I peeing) but several time i seen like black sand and a long hairing thing coming out . Any comments?
Rode a bucking horse two weekends in row. just passed 2 stones, 8 and 10 mm. Wew … One to go.
I’ve had waves of pain for two diagnosed kidney stones since July. When they acted up I drank many glasses of lemonade and cranberry juice. Went to ER last night for infection, blood in urine and got put on sulfa drugs. Today I passed 6mm stone. What a joy! One more to go. It may hurt but my motto is never give up. Keep walking, drinking fluids and praying. My son is 47. He had actual sludge come out of him. He walked, jumped up and down and suffered five days. Twice before he passed stones while in ER. MY 4 year old grandson also had small stones caused by his Mom giving him a spinach fruit smoothie every morning. He started having problems peeing. If calcium stones, watch out for caffeine, spinach, sweet taters, chocolate and some nuts and berries. My heart goes out to all of you who suffer with stones!
I am thirteen years old, and today I have just passed a kidney stone (4 milometers), It was incredibly painful but I am so glad it over. 🙂
I just had my 1.3 cm stone lasered and a stent put in 3 days ago. I am experiencing incredible pain (like when I passed a small chunk the day before surgery) I was under the impression that the stone was vaporized and there would be nothing left to pass. Is it possible that the stent is misplaced or bent somehow?
Also, if a person is experiencing passing / blockage pain. does moving around or even jumping up and down help move or dislodge the stone?
Your symptoms are most likely to be due to the stent. Stents, even when in the proper position, can cause significant symptoms. Many patients will tell us that their stent was worse than their stone. For an example, see our post on a patient’s perspective on stents. However, if you have concerns about your symptoms, contact your local urologist.
Moving or jumping around doesn’t seem to help a stone pass. However, researchers have looked at the benefit of hydration, percussion, and inversion therapy on stone fragment passage after extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy. In a few small studies, patients who were hydrated with fluids, lay at an angle with their heads down, and underwent manual percussion (being hit repeatedly on the flank), after shockwave lithotripsy appeared to pass their stone fragments more successfully. Note however that the situation in these studies is not the same as someone trying to pass a non-fragmented stone.
References:
Chiong and colleagues. “Randomized controlled study of mechanical percussion, diuresis, and inversion therapy to assist passage of lower pole renal calculi after shock wave lithotripsy” Urology 2005.
Pace and colleagues. “Mechanical percussion, inversion and diuresis for residual lower pole fragments after shock wave lithotripsy: a prospective, single blind, randomized controlled trial” J Urol. 2001.
i have just had a stent removed from my kidney i have to say the pain is awful i have been housebound for 14 weeks the pain was so intense i couldnt walk so was unable to go to work unless it is life threatening i would not have another stent fitted again i used to pass out when i passed urine cause the pain was so intense and felt like my bladder was going to burst out of my body i had the stent removed this week and what bliss no pain the stent was more painful than the stones fortunatley i have passed some small stones since the stent came out what bliss no pain
i have had 7 stones in each kidney for over a year and a half. None have passed yet. Found them when I was pregnant with my last daughter. All of a sudden I had this awful pain on my left side that radiated from my lower back to my lower stomach. I thought I was having a miscarriage, since id had one before and it felt very similar. I was in and out of the hospital for 3 damn days, and kept screaming at them that i felt something moving in my kidney. It was a scraping and ripping feeling. I had to pee in i dont know how many cups, and be cathed (yay) about 6 times. And kept telling them to ultrasound my kidneys, and after 3 days, and painful cathing, they did. and found 7 in each kidney.
hi i have 18 mm stone going for lithotripsy ……
Passed a 9mm stone on June15 ouch! they had me booked for surgery the following morning…. came out at 3am….. the doctor said he felt like he was going to faint and all the nurses aplauded i felt like i was hit by seven trucks.
Congratulations! Was it a girl or a boy?
The Cipro drip bags possibly were 14 until Thursday March 29 I was discharged to home on oral antibiotics and pain killers. … because of the severity of the infection the blasting had to delayed til the infection is cleared up.
I have two staghorn kidney stones. One in each kidney. One is 3cm. The other not hardly as big. Not sure what will be done. Don’t see the Kidney doctor until April 25. Any ideas on what will be done? Thanks
Your urologist will discuss treatment options when you meet with him or her. Given the large size of your 3cm stone, a percutaneous approach may be considered but ultimately what is recommended will depend on your situation and the experience of your physician. Our post on choosing a stone surgery might be useful to you:
https://www.kidneystoners.org/surgery/how-do-i-choose-which-surgery-to-have-for-my-kidney-stones/
I have multiple kidney stones. One is 10 x 6 mm. I am scheduled to have it “laser blasted” during an outpatient surgical procedure on April 5.
It sounds cooler than the big term ending with ‘litho’ something.
Any helpful words are welcome.
MondAy .March 26 I was admitted to the hospital after experiencing(worse than child labor contractions) pain.
Tuesday, 27 had surgery to place an 8-10 inch stent to allow the trapped infectious fluid to flow into the bladder.
Untold # of bags of IV fluid And fewer smaller bags of IV drip Cipro
I had a lithotripsy done too. I had an 8mm stone. It hurt during the procedure i thought that someone was “hammering” my side. I hope you are feeling better now. I found out yesterday i have another stone oh yea ugg. Take care
Amy
Sorry you’re going through this, Amy. It’s not much fun. I had lithotripsy done back in the mid 90’s. Your description is pretty good- mine was it felt like laying on a table and having someone beat you with a baseball bat. I had two stone- they blasted the second one so I still had to pass the first naturally. I didn’t get much for my $20k. Now my motto is no fever no doctor. I’ve passed dozens since then. Latest one today. Hang in there.
Amen, No fever no doctor…EVER again!!! Have been going through all of the same stuff as everyone here! Just passed a 5mm this morning!
How did your laser procedure go for your kidney stones? I am scheduled for this procedure on Monday, June 4. The size of my stone is 1.6 cm.
Ten years ago I had 2 massive(one the size of a grapefruit and the other the size of a naval orange) removed by percutaneous nephrolithotripsy (surgery through my back.. They were Struvite stones (staghorn). I had 2 weeks of IV antibiotics. I had one done, than the other 2 weeks later. I had no problems after the initial recovery, until now. I have a new stone. I was in the hospital for 4 days for each stone. The worst part was the tube in my back that dripped urine and they couldn’t stop it. They ended just putting something to absorb over it. It was not fun! After 3 days or so this ended. Thank goodness Any questions just ask. Hope this helps.
Wow! I can’t even imagine that. I just had a 8mm lasered & now have a stent.
Im due to have surgery for a large staghorn stone that is almost filling my kidney. Has anyone had this done and how did they get on after the surgery?
I had a large staghorn removed from my kidney in November of 2011,it was no fun at all. I went home the day after they removed it and really couldn’t move that well,it took at least two weeks to get where I could move around good. I also had spasms in my bladder on top of that. it’s been three months and I have two more stones forming…YAY