Doctors at RG Hospitals, Rajouri Garden, successfully treated a 59-year-old woman with a complex blockage in her only functioning kidney and multiple kidney stones through advanced minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery. The high-risk procedure preserved her only working kidney, removed the stones, and restored normal kidney function.
Only Functional Kidney at Risk
The woman was admitted with persistent pain on her right side. Investigations revealed a Pelvi-Ureteric Junction (PUJ) obstruction, a condition that blocks the flow of urine from the kidney to the ureter. She also had three to four kidney stones, each measuring about 11 mm, causing swelling in the right kidney.
Further tests showed that her left kidney had become small, contracted, and was almost non-functional, making the right kidney her only working kidney. She was also undergoing treatment for hypothyroidism.
Doctors Perform High-Risk Minimally Invasive Surgery
Given the complexity of the case, doctors led by Dr. Kapil Jain, Senior Consultant – Urology, performed a 2-hour 20-minute advanced laparoscopic procedure to repair the blockage, remove the kidney stones, and insert a temporary stent to restore urine flow.
As per the press release, the surgery successfully relieved the obstruction while preserving the patient’s only functioning kidney. She recovered without complications, was mobilised early, and was discharged in stable condition after three days.
Early Diagnosis Can Prevent Permanent Kidney Damage
Dr. Kapil Jain said treating a PUJ obstruction becomes particularly challenging when it affects a patient’s only functioning kidney, as preserving kidney function is the top priority. He added that the presence of multiple kidney stones further increased the complexity of the surgery, but the minimally invasive approach allowed doctors to reconstruct the blocked junction and remove the stones in a single procedure while reducing surgical trauma.
He also advised people not to ignore symptoms such as persistent flank pain, recurrent urinary tract infections, or kidney stones, especially if they have reduced kidney function or only one functioning kidney. Early diagnosis and timely treatment, he said, can help prevent irreversible kidney damage and preserve long-term kidney health.