Analgesics
A medication that reduces or eliminates pain.

Bladder 
The bladder, a part of the urinary tract, is a hollow, muscular, balloon-shaped organ located in the pelvis that normally holds urine until it is voluntarily released.

Calcium 
A mineral found mainly in the hard part of bones, where it is stored.

Calcium oxalate 
A chemical compound that forms needle-shaped crystals.

Calcium stones 
This is the most common form of kidney stone, accounting for about 75% to 85% of all cases. The calcium is usually combined with oxalate and/or phosphate.

Creatinine    
A waste product from meat protein in the diet and from the muscles of the body. Creatinine is removed from blood by the kidneys; as kidney disease progresses, the level of creatine in the blood increases.

Cystine 
One of the 20 amino acids commonly found in animal proteins.

Cystine stones 
The least common type of stone, found in about 1% of cases, is made of cystine, an amino acid.

Cystinuria 
A condition in which urine contains high levels of the amino acid cystine. If cystine does not dissolve in the urine, it can build up to form kidney stones.

Kidney stones A hard, rock-like mass made of minerals in the kidney. Kidney stones are also known as "renal calculi."

Kidneys 
A pair of bean shaped organs in the back of abdomen that are part of the urinary system. They clean the body of excess water, salt and waste products.  The kidneys also produce important hormones that help regulate blood pressure, form bone, and control red blood cell production in bones.

Lithotripsy 
A procedure to break a stone into small particles that can be passed in the urine.

Nephrologist
A doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating kidney disease.

Renal 
Having to do with the kidney.

Septicaemia 
Invasion of the bloodstream by virulent microorganisms from a focus of infection.

Stent 
A stent is a tiny metal or plastic tube. A stent is placed into an artery, blood vessel, or other duct (such as one that carries urine) to hold the structure open.

Struvite stones 
Struvite stones are often called infection stones. They form in the presence of long standing infection.
Ureters Two small tubes that carry urine from the kidneys, where it's produced, to the bladder, where it's held until released.  There is one ureter for each kidney.

Urethra 
A tube connected to the bladder at one end and open at the other.  Urine leaves the body by flowing from the bladder out the urethra.

Uric acid 
A slightly soluble acid present in urine and blood produced by the body's breakdown of waste nitrogenous substances.

Uric acid stone 
A kidney stone that may result from animal protein in the diet. When the body breaks down this protein, uric acid levels rise and can form stones.

Urinary tract 
The urinary tract consists of the organs involved in producing and eliminating urine (liquid waste) from the body: the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra.

Urologist
A doctor who specializes in diseases of the urinary organs in females and the urinary and sex organs in males.