Kidney stones in Vasant Kunj: the pain, the tests, and what each step costs

If you are reading this at two in the morning with a pain in your side that will not let you sit still, skip to the section on when it is an emergency. Everything else can wait until daylight.

Quick answer

A kidney stone is a hard deposit that forms in the kidney and causes trouble when it moves into the ureter, the narrow tube draining urine to the bladder. The pain is not from the stone itself but from the blockage behind it. Most small stones pass on their own with fluids, time and something for the pain. Larger ones, and any stone causing fever or a blocked single kidney, need a urologist quickly.

At All Is Well Medical Centre in Vasant Kunj, stones are seen by Dr. Irsad Ali, MCh (Urology), a urologist and kidney transplant surgeon. Consultation is ₹1,000. An ultrasound KUB starts at ₹640 and a CT KUB at ₹3,500, both arranged at a partner centre near you.

What it feels like

Renal colic has a shape that is hard to mistake once you have felt it.

It arrives suddenly, often in the small hours. The pain sits in the flank, below the ribs at the back, and travels down and forward towards the groin. It comes in waves that build over minutes and then ease, rather than staying flat. People describe being unable to find a position that helps — pacing, curling up, standing, nothing works. Nausea and vomiting are common. The urine may look pink, red or smoky, or may look completely normal.

That last point matters. Blood you cannot see is far more common than blood you can, so clear urine does not rule a stone out.

Two things distinguish it from a muscular back pain, which is the commonest thing it gets mistaken for. Muscle pain is usually worse with a particular movement and eases when you lie still. Stone pain does not care what you do. And stone pain radiates — it travels a path, from the back round to the front.

When it is an emergency

Most stones are painful, not dangerous. These are the situations that change that. If any of them apply, do not wait for a morning appointment — go to a hospital emergency department.

Fever or chills alongside the pain. This is the one that matters most. A blocked kidney that also becomes infected is a urological emergency, and it can become serious within hours rather than days. Fever plus flank pain is not something to manage at home overnight.

Vomiting so persistent you cannot keep water down. Dehydration makes everything about a stone worse, and if fluids will not stay in, they need to go in another way.

Passing very little or no urine at all. Particularly if you have only one working kidney, or have had a kidney removed or transplanted.

Pain that does not respond to anything. Colic that is unmanageable is a reason to be assessed, not a reason to endure it.

You are pregnant. Stones in pregnancy are managed differently from the start, and the imaging is different too.

How a stone is diagnosed

Diagnosis is usually quick, and it is worth knowing what each test is for so you are not paying for something you do not need.

Urine test. Looks for blood, for signs of infection, and sometimes for crystals. Fast and inexpensive, and it often provides the first confirmation.

Blood tests. Kidney function, mainly — whether the blockage has affected how the kidneys are working. Calcium and uric acid may be checked too, particularly if this is not your first stone.

Ultrasound KUB — from ₹640. KUB stands for kidneys, ureters and bladder. It uses no radiation, which makes it the first choice in pregnancy and in children, and it is very good at showing a swollen kidney — the sign that something is obstructing the flow. Its weakness is the middle part of the ureter, where stones can hide from it.

CT KUB — from ₹3,500. A non-contrast CT is the most accurate test for stones. It finds almost all of them, shows exactly where the stone sits and how large it is, and does it in seconds. That size and position is what determines everything that follows, which is why a urologist will often want one before deciding on treatment.

A common and sensible sequence is urine and blood tests plus an ultrasound first, and a CT only if the picture is unclear or a procedure is being considered. Your doctor will say which you need. We book all of these — blood tests with home sample collection, and ultrasound or CT at a partner centre near you — and the report comes back to the doctor who ordered it.

What happens after the diagnosis

This is where size decides almost everything.

Small stones, roughly under 5 mm, pass on their own in the large majority of cases. The plan is fluids, pain relief, and sometimes a tablet that relaxes the ureter to help the stone along. It can take days to a few weeks. You may be asked to strain your urine so the stone can be caught and analysed — which sounds fussy and is genuinely useful, because knowing what the stone was made of changes how you prevent the next one.

Stones around 5 to 10 mm are a judgement call. Some pass. Some do not. Position matters as much as size — a stone low in the ureter, near the bladder, has a far better chance than one sitting higher up.

Stones above about 10 mm rarely pass unaided, and waiting has a cost: a ureter obstructed for a long time can damage the kidney behind it.

When a procedure is needed, the common options are shock wave lithotripsy, which breaks the stone from outside the body; ureteroscopy, where a fine telescope is passed up to the stone and it is broken and removed; and, for large stones inside the kidney itself, a keyhole procedure through the back. Which is appropriate depends on the size, the position, the make-up of the stone and your own history. That is a conversation with a urologist, not a decision to be made from an article.

What we do here, and what we do not

Here in Vasant Kunj: the consultation with Dr. Ali, the urine and blood tests, the ultrasound or CT arranged at a partner centre near you, the reading of those results, and the plan — including managing a small stone conservatively and following it until it passes.

Not here: the procedures. Lithotripsy, ureteroscopy and keyhole stone surgery need an operating theatre and anaesthetic support, and are done at a hospital where Dr. Ali operates. If your stone needs one, he will tell you at the consultation, explain which procedure and why, and arrange it.

We would rather say this plainly than have you arrive in pain expecting something we cannot do. Knowing where the line falls is part of what you are paying a specialist to tell you.

Stopping the next one

Roughly half of people who have had one stone will form another within five to ten years. That figure drops substantially with a few unglamorous habits, and this is the part of stone care that people skip.

Drink more than feels necessary. The target most urologists use is enough fluid to produce about 2.5 litres of urine a day, which in a Delhi summer means drinking rather more than that. Pale urine is the simplest check you have — if it is dark, you are behind.

Cut the salt before you cut anything else. High salt makes the kidneys excrete more calcium, and more calcium in the urine is how the commonest kind of stone forms. This matters more than most dietary advice people are given.

Do not cut out calcium. This is the single most common mistake, and it is backwards. A normal calcium intake binds oxalate in the gut so it leaves in the stool rather than reaching the kidney. Cutting dairy to avoid stones tends to cause more of them.

Moderate animal protein, and be aware of very high-oxalate foods — spinach, beetroot, nuts and strong tea in quantity — without eliminating them.

Citrus helps. Citrate in urine inhibits stone formation, and lemon in water is a reasonable everyday habit.

None of this is a guarantee. It is a meaningful reduction in risk, which is a different and more honest claim.

If the stone is caught, have it analysed. Uric acid stones, calcium oxalate stones and the rarer types are prevented in different ways, and without knowing which you form, prevention is guesswork.

What it costs

Urology consultation — ₹1,000.

Ultrasound KUB — from ₹640, at a partner centre near you.

CT KUB — from ₹3,500, non-contrast.

Urine and blood tests are quoted before anything is ordered, with free home sample collection.

Prices vary by centre, and we confirm the exact amount before anything is booked. Any procedure done at a hospital is billed by that hospital, and Dr. Ali will explain what to expect before you commit to anything.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a small stone take to pass? Days to a few weeks, depending on size and where it sits. Stones low in the ureter pass fastest. If it has not passed in four to six weeks, it usually needs reviewing.

Can I drink beer to flush out a stone? No. This is a persistent piece of folklore. Alcohol is a diuretic and dehydrates you, which is the opposite of what you want, and it does nothing to a stone mechanically. Water is what works.

Does a stone always cause pain? No. Stones sitting quietly in the kidney can cause nothing at all and are often found incidentally on a scan done for something else. Pain begins when a stone moves and obstructs.

Do I need a CT, or will an ultrasound do? It depends on the question. An ultrasound is often enough to confirm an obstruction and start treatment, and it uses no radiation. A CT is what you want when the exact size and position will decide whether you need a procedure. Your doctor will tell you which applies.

Is a kidney stone the same as a gallstone? No. Different organ, different composition, different treatment. The pain is also usually in a different place — gallstone pain sits under the right ribs at the front, often after a fatty meal.

I have had stones before. Should I be scanned regularly? If you are a repeat stone former, your urologist may suggest periodic imaging and a metabolic work-up to find out why you make them. That is a conversation worth having when you are not in pain.

Seeing a urologist in Vasant Kunj

Stone consultations at All Is Well Medical Centre are with Dr. Irsad Ali, MBBS, MS (General Surgery), MCh (Urology), a urologist and kidney transplant surgeon.

Call 8800844793 to book, and we will tell you when he is consulting. Bring any previous scans and reports, and if you have caught a stone, bring it — it is more useful than people expect.

All Is Well Medical Centre, Shop no. 1, Central Market, Sector B Road, opposite Vasant Square Mall, Masoodpur, Sector B, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi 110070. You can also see our full list of doctors.

By Dr. Irsad Ali, MBBS, MS (General Surgery), MCh (Urology) — Urologist and Kidney Transplant Surgeon, 7+ years in practice.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Irsad Ali. Last reviewed 21 September, 2026

This article is general health information and does not replace a consultation. If you have flank pain with fever, cannot keep fluids down, or are passing little or no urine, seek medical care immediately.

Contact

Call 8800844793. Home nursing 6 am to midnight

Phone

8800844793

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Shop no. 1, Central Market, Sector B Rd, opposite Vasant Square Mall, Masoodpur, Sector B, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, Delhi 110070

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