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Doctors in Sri Lanka have removed a 3.1kg bladder stone from a 55-year-old man, believed to be the largest of its kind ever surgically removed.
Mariyam Adheela
Doctors in Sri Lanka have removed a giant bladder stone that weighs as much as a newborn child -- Photo: BBC
Doctors at Trincomalee General Hospital in eastern Sri Lanka have removed a giant bladder stone weighing 3.1kg from a 55-year-old man.
The patient was admitted to hospital after suffering a stroke. Doctors later discovered that he was having difficulty urinating and found stones in his bladder.
During surgery, doctors removed a stone measuring around 17cm in length and weighing about the same as a full-term baby. Doctors compared its size to an ostrich egg.
Dr Prahalahan Balakrishnan, who led the surgery, said available records indicate the stone could be the largest bladder stone ever documented and removed through surgery.
The Guinness World Record currently lists a 1.9kg bladder stone removed in Brazil in 2003 as the largest recorded. The Sri Lankan stone was significantly heavier, although its record status has yet to be officially confirmed.
Doctors believe the stone may have remained in the patient’s bladder for between five and 10 years. The patient is reportedly in good health following the procedure and remains in hospital receiving treatment for his other medical conditions.
Bladder stones form when minerals in concentrated urine crystallise inside the bladder, often when the bladder cannot empty completely. Large stones can obstruct urine flow and require medical treatment.
