Question: What is (are) Kidney Stones in Children ?
Answer: The urinary tract is the bodys drainage system for removing wastes and extra water. The urinary tract includes two kidneys, two ureters, a bladder, and a urethra. The kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist and located below the ribs, one on each side of the spine, toward the middle of the back. Every minute, a persons kidneys filter about 3 ounces of blood, removing wastes and extra water. The wastes and extra water make up the 1 to 2 quarts of urine an adult produces each day. Children produce less urine each day; the amount produced depends on their age. The urine travels from the kidneys down two narrow tubes called the ureters. The urine is then stored in a balloonlike organ called the bladder. When the bladder empties, urine flows out of the body through a tube called the urethra at the bottom of the bladder.
Source: NIDDK

Question: What is (are) Kidney Stones in Children ?
Answer: Four major types of kidney stones occur in children: - Calcium stones are the most common type of kidney stone and occur in two major forms: calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate. Calcium oxalate stones are more common. Calcium oxalate stone formation has various causes, which may include high calcium excretion, high oxalate excretion, or acidic urine. Calcium phosphate stones are caused by alkaline urine. - Uric acid stones form when the urine is persistently acidic. A diet rich in purinessubstances found in animal proteins such as meats, fish, and shellfishmay cause uric acid. If uric acid becomes concentrated in the urine, it can settle and form a stone by itself or along with calcium. - Struvite stones result from kidney infections. Eliminating infected stones from the urinary tract and staying infectionfree can prevent more struvite stones. - Cystine stones result from a genetic disorder that causes cystine to leak through the kidneys and into the urine in high concentration, forming crystals that tend to accumulate into stones.
Source: NIDDK

Question: How to diagnose Kidney Stones in Children ?
Answer: The process of diagnosing any illness begins with consideration of the symptoms. Pain or bloody urine may be the first symptom. Urine, blood, and imaging tests will help determine whether symptoms are caused by a stone. Urine tests can be used to check for infection and for substances that form stones. Blood tests can be used to check for biochemical problems that can lead to kidney stones. Various imaging techniques can be used to locate the stone: - Ultrasound uses a device, called a transducer, that bounces safe, painless sound waves off organs to create an image of their structure. An abdominal ultrasound can create images of the entire urinary tract. The procedure is performed in a health care providers office, outpatient center, or hospital by a specially trained technician, and the images are interpreted by a radiologista doctor who specializes in medical imaging; anesthesia is not needed. The images can show the location of any stones. This test does not expose children to radiation, unlike some other imaging tests. Although other tests are more useful in detecting very small stones or stones in the lower portion of the ureter, ultrasound is considered by many health care providers to be the best screening test to look for stones. - Computerized tomography (CT) scans use a combination of x rays and computer technology to create threedimensional (3-D) images. A CT scan may include the injection of a special dye, called contrast medium. CT scans require the child to lie on a table that slides into a tunnel-shaped device where the x rays are taken. The procedure is performed in an outpatient center or hospital by an x-ray technician, and the images are interpreted by a radiologist; anesthesia is not needed. CT scans may be required to get an accurate stone count when children are being considered for urologic surgery. Because CT scans expose children to a moderate amount of radiation, health care providers try to reduce radiation exposure in children by avoiding repeated CT scans, restricting the area scanned as much as possible, and using the lowest radiation dose that will provide the needed diagnostic information. - X-ray machines use radiation to create images of the childs urinary tract. The images can be taken at an outpatient center or hospital by an x-ray technician, and the images are interpreted by a radiologist; anesthesia is not needed. The x rays are used to locate many kinds of stones. A conventional x ray is generally less informative than an ultrasound or CT scan, but it is less expensive and can be done more quickly than other imaging procedures.
Source: NIDDK

Question: What are the treatments for Kidney Stones in Children ?
Answer: The treatment for a kidney stone usually depends on its size and what it is made of, as well as whether it is causing symptoms of pain or obstructing the urinary tract. Small stones usually pass through the urinary tract without treatment. Still, children will often require pain control and encouragement to drink lots of fluids to help move the stone along. Pain control may consist of oral or intravenous (IV) medication, depending on the duration and severity of the pain. IV fluids may be needed if the child becomes dehydrated from vomiting or an inability to drink. A child with a larger stone, or one that blocks urine flow and causes great pain, may need to be hospitalized for more urgent treatment. Hospital treatments may include the following:
Source: NIDDK

Question: How to prevent Kidney Stones in Children ?
Answer: To prevent kidney stones, health care providers and their patients must understand what is causing the stones to form. Especially in children with suspected metabolic abnormalities or with recurrent stones, a 24-hour urine collection is obtained to measure daily urine volume and to determine if any underlying mineral abnormality is making a child more likely to form stones. Based on the analysis of the collected urine, the treatment can be individualized to address a metabolic problem. In all circumstances, children should drink plenty of fluids to keep the urine diluted and flush away substances that could form kidney stones. Urine should be almost clear.
Source: NIDDK

Question: What to do for Kidney Stones in Children ?
Answer: Families may benefit from meeting with a dietitian to learn how dietary management can help in preventing stones. Depending on the underlying cause of the stone formation, medications may be necessary to prevent recurrent stones. Dietary changes and medications may be required for a long term or, quite often, for life. Some common changes include the following: - Children who tend to make calcium oxalate stones or have hypercalciuria should eat a regular amount of dietary calcium and limit salt intake. A thiazide diuretic medication may be given to some children to reduce the amount of calcium leaking into the urine. - Children who have large amounts of oxalate in the urine may need to limit foods high in oxalate, such as chocolate, peanut butter, and dark-colored soft drinks. - Children who form uric acid or cystine stones may need extra potassium citrate or potassium carbonate in the form of a pill or liquid medication. Avoiding foods high in purinessuch as meat, fish, and shellfishmay also help prevent uric acid stones.
Source: NIDDK

Question: What to do for Kidney Stones in Children ?
Answer: - A kidney stone is a solid piece of material that forms in a kidney when some substances that are normally found in the urine become highly concentrated. - Kidney stones occur in infants, children, and teenagers from all races and ethnicities. - Kidney stones in children are diagnosed using a combination of urine, blood, and imaging tests. - The treatment for a kidney stone usually depends on its size and composition as well as whether it is causing symptoms of pain or obstructing the urinary tract. - Small stones usually pass through the urinary tract without treatment. Still, children will often require pain control and encouragement to drink lots of fluids to help move the stone along. - Children with larger stones, or stones that block urine flow and cause great pain, may need to be hospitalized for more urgent treatment. - Hospital treatments may include shock wave lithotripsy (SWL), removal of the stone with a ureteroscope, lithotripsy with a ureteroscope, or percutaneous nephrolithotomy. - To prevent recurrent kidney stones, health care providers and their patients must understand what is causing the stones to form. - In all circumstances, children should drink plenty of fluids to keep the urine diluted and flush away substances that could form kidney stones. Urine should be almost clear.
Source: NIDDK