Anyone who has suffered through a large, painful kidney stone wants to avoid a repeat episode. Now a new trial confirms one preventive strategy: removing small “silent” stones before they cause trouble.
When people develop a kidney stone that is painful enough to require removal, imaging tests often reveal that they harbor smaller, asymptomatic stones, too. And doctors know there is a high likelihood that those stones could cause symptoms later on.
The scenario might seem like a no-brainer: If you’re doing surgery anyway, grab those little stones on the way out. And to many urologists who treat kidney stones, that is the obvious choice….