Urinary Stones is due to the stones (calculi) that can develop in the kidneys, ureters (which carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder) or bladder due to precipitation of sub-stances or crystal formation in urine. The formation of uritlary stones Is also called urolithiasis. About 80 per cent of stones are composed of calcium salts, while the remainder consist of uric acid, magnesium salts or products of protein breakdown. Stories are most likely to form if there is increased concentration of these substances in the urine due either to their itlcreased concentration in the blood or to decreased urine production. They vary in size from microscopic crystals to several centimetres in diameter. The problems caused by urinary stones depend on their size and site.

Essentials for TCM diagnosis    
(1) There is sudden onset of typical colic of the kidney and ureter, accompanied by macroscopic or microscopic hematuria. Sometimes only dull pain occurs in the loins and abdomen, often accompanied by sore and distending sensation. A history of stone discharge can also be indicative of the disease. Cystic and urethral calculus often exhibits such symptoms as difficulty in urination, interruption of urine stream, retention of urine, terminal hematuria, etc.

(2) Percussion pain or tenderness may be felt at the renal and urerteral regions.

(3) Increase of RBC can be found in urine examination under microscopy, sometimes accompanied by saline crystals especially after the colic and increased white blood cells or pus cells in complicated infection.

(4) 95% of the cases show radio-opaque urinary stones in X-ray plain film with clear indication of stone size, location, shape and amount. If X-ray plain film shows a negative result, the possibility of urolithiasis can not be ruled out. Excretion urography or retrograde urography should be conducted to confirm the existence of the stones and their locations. This can also provide further information on the anoto itsmic morphology of renal pelvis, renal calyces, ureter, confirmation of hydronephrosis and seriousness, thinness or thickness of renal parenchyma, condition of renal function or confirmation of the congenital abnormality in upper urinary tract and other organ diseases.

(5) Nuclein renagram examination can reveal the condition of renal function and obstruction of upper urinary tract. Supersonic examination can help detect the stone: its size, location as well as the seriousness of hydronephrosis.