Get the Best Winter Activities
The good news on the kid front is that generally children are better at passing stones than adults are, says Dr. Landman. “Children can pass quite large stones.”
If this doesn’t happen naturally, doctors will go in with endoscopic instruments. Again, there is good news: advanced techniques allow for minimally invasive treatment, and medical device manufacturers, like Cook, are now producing an instrument that fits a child’s anatomy to trap and extract stones.
To avoid kidney stones, Dr. Landman advises parents to read food labels to protect the whole family from consuming too much sodium, and to encourage kids to drink lots of water.And if your child gets a kidney stone, Dr. Landman urges follow-up work. “This should include a full metabolic evaluation — 24-hour urine checks and blood work — to determine the cause. With adults, we usually wait for a second episode. Not with a child.”
