155kg man undergoes surgery for kidney stone

Dubai: A man weighing 155 kilograms successfully underwent an operation to remove a kidney stone shaped like deer horns which was causing great pain, a senior urologist said.

Egyptian Esmail A.H., 58, went to various hospitals around the country and was told to lose weight before an operation could be done as his weight was a risk factor.

"Shock wave lithotripsy [sound waves to break kidney stones] was also not possible because of the fat content in his body," said Dr Fariborz Bagheri, urologist at Dubai Hospital, who took up the challenge to operate on Esmail.

The doctor's team had to keep Esmail flat on his stomach for two hours to get to the 6-cm large stone which is known as the ‘stag horn', because of its horn-like ends. "From the point of anaesthetists, keeping him in the prone position was very difficult," Dr Bagheri told Gulf News.

Esmail had undergone an operation some years ago to remove another kidney stone. "Two decades ago doctors had to make a large cut at the back and then slice open the kidney to get the stone inside the kidney," said Dr Bagheri, showing a picture of a massive incision in the patient's back.

The medical team decided to get to the cause of Esmail's agony by using a technique involving a telescopic device inserted through a small puncture made in a patient's back. The recovery time is very quick with this procedure, Dr Bagheri said. "Kidney stones are very common in the warmer climates," said the urologist, adding that drinking two litres of water every day was the best way to avoid the problem.

"People work very hard in Dubai and don't drink water to avoid taking a break to go to the toilet," the doctor said.

He said the incidence of kidney stones was particularly high among taxi drivers in Dubai because they went hours without drinking water. Kidney stones occur due to dehydration, eating certain foods like meats and those which have high calcium content, or due to infection, said the urologist. Some stones develop inside the kidney and then lodge themselves in the urinary tract and if it obstructs the passage of urine it is very painful, Dr Bagheri said. But sometimes the crystals develop without obstructing the flow of urine, giving no clue about their presence, he added, recommending periodic tests.