Hyderabad AINU doctors successfully remove urinary bladder stones from a 3YO boy

Hyderabad: One of the most concerning medical conditions in children is when they develop kidney stones at a very young age. A three-year-old boy was in pain while passing urine and would cry every time he had to. He also suffered from frequent bouts of high fever.

The child was initially treated for a urinary tract infection by a children specialist which gave some temporary relief but then it recurred again with the same complaints. The child was later assessed with an ultrasound which revealed two stones of size 1.6 cm each in his urinary bladder.

The child was referred to the Asian Institute of Nephrology and Urology (AINU), HITEC City branch. The doctors at AINU did a CT scan and found two stones—one in the urinary bladder and another in the left ureter (a tube that connects the kidney and the urinary bladder). Both stones were approximately 1.6 cm, relatively large for a three-year-old boy. The challenge was to remove the stones without causing any further complications.

Dr. Deepak Ragoori, senior consultant urologist and facility director, AINU, said, “These stones are normally removed through the urethra (urinary passage) in adults but it’s not the same in children as the caliber of the urethra is narrow. If we attempt the same, we might cause damage to the urethra which will result in stricture urethra, thereby becoming a problem for the rest of his life. Another alternative was to make a hole in the bladder just below the belly button and then remove the stones, which is a more invasive technique.”

Keeping in mind the age of the child and potential complications of conventional surgery, the team at AINU, headed by Dr. Ragoori, Dr. Md. Taif Bendigeri, Dr. Prabhu Karunakaran (paediatric urologist),Dr. Leela Krishna, and Dr. Nityanand Lanka (chief anesthesiologist) decided to go ahead with endoscopic surgical option with laser lithotripsy. With the help of improved technology and miniaturization of endoscopic instruments, the team was able to perform the surgery with instruments that are designed for children and using an advanced Thulium Fiber laser.

The stones were completely transformed into fine dust and sucked out with a suction machine. The surgery was completed in less than 45 minutes with no complications and the child was sent home the very next day. He was able to pass urine with no difficulty.

Kidney stones in children are formed primarily due to metabolic errors or congenital deformities. These children need an expert team of super specialty doctors for effective and safe treatment.