How are kidney stones treated in kids?
Treatment for kidney stones depends on the stone's size, cause and associated symptoms. For small stones that are not causing other complications, we typically recommend small changes that will help your child pass the kidney stone. These treatments include:
- Drinking more water
- Changing your child's diet, typically to reduce salt and animal proteins
- Medication to help pass a stone or prevent future stone formation
Our care team may perform minimally invasive urologic surgery to remove the stone if the kidney stone is large or is causing severe pain, urinary tract infections or other issues.
Preventing future kidney stones in kids
Once your child has passed a kidney stone or we have removed it, we'll work with you and your child to reduce the chance of future kidney stones. We'll perform a complete metabolic evaluation to find the cause of the kidney stone. A complete metabolic evaluation includes a dietary evaluation, blood and urine tests and a stone analysis. This evaluation will help our pediatric specialists provide recommendations on ways to reduce the risk of your child forming additional kidney stones.
Why choose Children's Colorado for your child's kidney stone treatment?
Our entire care team, from imaging technicians to nurses to doctors, focuses solely on children's health. We treat the specific ways children's bodies react to kidney stones, use equipment designed specifically for children and provide care in a child-friendly environment. Our ultrasounds and CT scans minimize radiation exposure to avoid unnecessary DNA damage in children. We also provide rapid, state-of-the-art diagnosis and care to assess and treat your child's kidney stone quickly.
At Children's Colorado, we have a multidisciplinary team of dedicated pediatric nephrologists, urologists and dietitians committed to providing your child with the best and most complete care possible. We treat your child, not just their kidney stone. This means we do everything we can to pass your child's kidney stone, but also improve their overall health to help prevent kidney stones in the future.