Kidney stones are solid masses comprised of tiny crystals that may exist in a person’s kidney or ureter. Kidney stones can typically form when the person’s urine contains too much of certain substances, and these substances combine to form small crystals that become kidney stones. Kidney stones have been described as one of the most painful urologic disorders known to man. Kidney stones typically exit the body (see, how to pass kidney stone) via the person’s urine stream, and while smaller stones may exit without even being noticed or with minimal symptoms, sufficiently larger stones (e.g. 3 millimeters (0.12 in)) can cause obstruction of the ureter which leads to the severe pain for which kidney stones are infamously known. Below we’ve featured a few pictures of actual kidney stones.
