Preemptive Removal of Small, Asymptomatic Kidney Stones

Asymptomatic kidney stones are often noted on imaging studies that are performed to screen for stones or when a patient presents with symptomatic stones. Patients frequently ask two questions about the asymptomatic stones: Will my stones ever become symptomatic? and How do we get those stones to come out before they get bigger? These excellent queries derive from the patient's knowledge that smaller stones can pass spontaneously but that the misery entailed by renal colic is memorable.(1) The answer to the first query is Yes, those stones are likely to become symptomatic. But data are lacking on methods for getting . . .

Automated summary

Asymptomatic kidney stones are often found during screening, and patients are concerned about the possibility of them becoming symptomatic and how to prevent them from getting bigger. However, there is currently a lack of data to support the answers to these questions.