A 60-year-old man was diagnosed with benign prostatic hypertrophy causing the swelling of the prostate, hydronephrosis, numerous bladder stones and a suspected kidney cyst after he sought medical help due to slow urine flow and excessive urination at night.
An ultrasound of the man’s urinary tract showed that he had serious hydronephrosis (swelling of the kidneys due to urine build-up), uneven honeycomb-like ridges on his bladder wall and numerous bladder stones, with the largest up to 2cm wide, said Chou Ku (周固), attending physician at the Shu Tien Clinic’s Department of Urology who treated the man.
After performing a lithotripsy, or the use of ultrasound shock waves to break up kidney stones, and installing a bladder catheter, the bladder stones were removed and the patient’s kidneys recovered, Chou said.
He said bladder stones occur more often in men above 50, and about half of all men with benign prostatic hyperplasia have bladder stones.
Bladder stones might show no symptoms until they obstruct the bladder outlet, causing difficulty urinating, intermittency, nocturia, hematuria, or blood in urine, abdominal distention, abdominal pain or other symptoms; while some people might also suffer from pain at the tip of the penis during urination, Chou said.
He suggested that men maintain smooth urination by drinking water frequently and urinating regularly.
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