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Stone in the Bladder.In some instances however, these stones, which reach the blad der from the kidneys, do not pass out through the urethra, but remain in the bladder. So long as they are small they occasion no symptoms of sufficient moment to attract the patient's attention, but in course of time these stones become larger by the addition of new matter upon their exterior. This matter consists of crystalline sub stances which are deposited from the urine around the little kidney- stone. After a few months the stone may have attained many times its former bulk, and may now be as large as a hickory-nut or a wal nut. Upon cutting it open, this stone is found to consist of numer ous layers arranged around a common center, and presenting, there fore, something the appearance of an onion, The center is found to be the original kidney-stone. Although this is the way in which most stones are formed in the bladder, yet any foreign body may serve as a nucleus around which layers of crystalline matter will be deposited, so as to form a bladder-stone. Thus straws, hairpins, pipestems and similar objects which have been used by the patient in the unnatural gratification of the sexual appetite, sometimes slip into the bladder and remain there, constituting the nucleus around which a stone is subsequently formed. So, too, fragments of bone and bullets have been found in the interior of stones of the bladder in individuals who had suf fered wounds in this portion of the body. At other times a simple clot of blood or mass of pus which has escaped into the bladder, may constitute the beginning of the stone. It has also happened that catheters have been broken off when inserted into the bladder, the broken ends constituting the nucleus for the future stone. Symptoms. - The symptoms caused by the presence of a stone in the bladder are quite different in the male than those exhibited by the female. For evident reasons, stones are far more common in the male sex than among females, and the symptoms to be narrated are those observed in men. For a considerable time, while the stone remains small, no definite symptoms are observed ; the patient may at times have an uneasy sensation in the vicinity of the bladder, especially at the time of making water. When the stone increases in size - a change which may occur rapidly in the course of a few months, or gradually, requiring years for its accomplishment-the symptoms become pronounced and characteristic. The patient has constantly a dull pain around the neck of the bladder ; he is compelled to evacuate the urine at short intervals by day, though he may experience comparative comfort at night; he is apt to have a sharp pain at the close of the act of urination. The urine contains a sediment, at first slight and cloudy; subsequently thick and slimy ; there is apt to be a little blood mixed with the urine, especially after exercise. At times there occurs a characteristic symptom, which is not, however, invariably present; this consists in the sudden stoppage of the stream during urination, the patient being unable to complete the act until he has changed his position. Considerable irritation, amounting oftentimes to acute pain, is felt along the course of the male organ, especially at the extremity. This constitutes one of the chief and most reliable symptoms in children who are too young to give accurate informa tion as to the state of their feeling. Such boys are constantly fingering the parts, and frequently pull the foreskin, especially after making water. Motion of the body, such as riding, driving or walking, rail road travel and the like, aggravates the sufferings of the patient, compels him to empty the bladder more frequently, and increases the amount of blood and slime which escapes with the urine. If permitted to go without treatment, the disease ultimately results in death, the patient being harassed and exhausted by the frequent and painful acts of urination. In the course of time, too, a serious inflammation of the bladder is induced, which may spread to the kidneys and cause a fatal result. Treatment.-When it has been definitely ascertained that an individual is suffering from stone in the bladder, but one thing is to be done - to remove the stone. It is important that this fact be early recognized, since a failure to submit to an operation insures a fatal result, and, furthermore, the longer the matter is postponed, the greater is the danger attendant upon the operation. Until recently stones were removed from the bladder by a cut ting operation, called lithotomy, whereby the bladder was opened and the stone removed by a strong forceps - pincers. This was a serious operation, sometimes causing the death of the patient, and always confining him to the bed for several weeks. One of the greatest advances in modern surgery consists in the introduction of an operation whereby stones can be, in most cases, removed from the bladder without the use of the knife, and without injuring the parts concerned. This operation is called lithotrity - stone crushing - and is accomplished by the introduction of a pair of strong forceps into the bladder through the urethra. The stone is crushed as it lies in the bladder, and the fragments are washed out through a large catheter. A few years ago this operation was modified and improved by Dr. Bigelow, of Boston, Massachusetts, so that it has now become possible to crush and remove the entire stone at one operation. By this operation, the danger of a fatal result is much diminished, and the patient is confined to his bed for only a few days, if at all. This operation is especially valuable in case of elderly men, who suffer a far greater mortality from operation for the removal of stones than younger people. Owing to the small size of the parts in boys under puberty, it is rarely possible to employ lithotrity in these patients ; this is, however, a matter of small con sequence^ since the cutting operation is rarely followed by a fatal result in boys. The danger increases, other things being equal, with the age of the patient; yet if the kidneys and urinary organs generally are in good condition, stones may be removed even from aged men with perfect safety. In women, stone in the bladder is a far less serious and danger ous complaint. Although the symptoms induced are quite similar to those exhibited by men, yet the removal of the stone is a far simpler matter, for the female urethra is not only very short, but is easily stretched to a large size, so that a stone can often be removed even without crushing. But first, if you want to come back to this web site again, just add it to your bookmarks or favorites now! Then you'll find it easy! Also, please consider sharing our helpful website with your online friends.
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