Samsun doctors remove large staghorn kidney stone via back incision

Urology specialist Prof. Dr. Mustafa Suat Bolat successfully removed a large kidney stone, described as a ‘staghorn’ shape, from a patient at Medicana International Samsun Hospital in Turkey. The stone, measuring approximately 5 cm in length and 5 cm in width with a volume of about 25 cm³, had grown silently without causing significant symptoms because it did not block the urinary tract.

The surgical procedure involved creating a 1 cm diameter channel through the patient's back to access the kidney, where the stone was broken into small pieces and extracted. The patient, who had a history of stone disease in the left kidney, is recovering well and remains under regular urological follow-up.

Prof. Dr. Bolat noted that large kidney stones do not always cause pain and warned that relying on painkillers can mask symptoms and lead to permanent kidney damage. He also highlighted that high animal protein consumption is a risk factor for stone formation and advised caution regarding unregulated herbal supplements.