Q: My 29 years old wife is in to her twenty fourth week of pregnancy. She underwent kidney function test (KFT) and was diagnosed with a 7 mm stone in her left ureter. Her creatinine, protein, albumin, alkaline phosphate, calcium, phosphorous report was beyond reference range. Is working of her left kidney normal? Her urine culture report was normal. She experiences problem while urinating – a sustained severe pain, though otherwise she feels normal.

A:Kidney stones causing symptoms of pain from the blockage of the urinary tract, namely the ureter as in your wife's case is of extremely rare occurrence. Further, pregnancy does not put one to a greater risk for kidney stone formation. In over 80% cases, the stone should be able to pass spontaneously without causing any symptoms, assisted by the fact that in pregnancy, the urinary tract often stays dilated due to a hormonal effect. However, if she ends up having recurrent pain or discomfort from the obstructing stone, then she would require invasive studies and corrective measures including a procedure called cystoscopy with placement of a stent to relieve the obstruction. Review of her blood tests does not reveal any evidence of kidney injury from the stone.