A Woman’s Kid.ney Turned to “Stone” and Had to Be Completely Removed: Doctors Reveal the Shocking Culprit

A woman experienced unusual symptoms and went to the hospital for a check-up. The diagnosis revealed that one of her kidneys had completely “calcified,” losing all function.

One Kidney Turned White and “Turned to Stone”

About a week ago, Mrs. Mai (57, Da Nang) was admitted to the hospital with flank pain. Examination showed her right kidney was at hydronephrosis grade 4, with pus in the renal pelvis.

Dr. Cao Vinh Duy, Department of Urology – Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, explained that CT scans revealed her entire right kidney was calcified, completely white, and unable to absorb contrast. This is known as a “stone kidney,” a clear sign of total loss of function.

Doctors suspected she had chronic renal tuberculosis, which destroyed the kidney’s ability to function. The best treatment option was to surgically remove the kidney to eliminate the infection source and send tissue for pathology to confirm the exact cause.

The patient underwent laparoscopic surgery to remove the calcified kidney. During surgery, the medical team found the kidney was deformed, filled with yellow pus, and its artery had shriveled, making it impossible to receive blood supply.

Pathology results confirmed caseous necrosis in the kidney tissue—typical of renal tuberculosis.

After surgery, the patient continued anti-tuberculosis treatment and was scheduled for regular check-ups to monitor the remaining kidney’s function and prevent relapse.

Renal Tuberculosis – The “Silent Killer” of the Urinary System

According to doctors, renal tuberculosis is a form of extrapulmonary TB. Tuberculosis bacteria spread from the lungs to the kidneys through the bloodstream. Once there, they cause inflammation, caseous necrosis, hydronephrosis, tissue damage, and eventually kidney failure.

The disease often progresses silently, with few obvious symptoms. Patients may experience back pain, painful urination, or blood in the urine—symptoms that are often mistaken or ignored.

When the disease advances, the kidney may be so severely destroyed that medication alone is no longer effective. At that point, doctors must remove part or all of the kidney.

Mrs. Mai’s case is a typical example: the entire kidney turned to stone and had to be surgically removed to save her life.

Preventing and Detecting Renal Tuberculosis Early

Dr. Duy emphasized that preventing pulmonary tuberculosis is the most important step in preventing renal TB, as the lungs are the first organs attacked. If pulmonary TB is not controlled, the bacteria can spread to the kidneys and other parts of the urinary system.

To detect renal TB early, people should never ignore unusual signs such as blood in urine, painful urination, or flank/back pain, as these may signal kidney disease, including tuberculosis.

Doctors recommend that anyone with these symptoms undergo diagnostic tests such as biopsy, urinalysis, X-ray, ultrasound, CT, or MRI. Early detection increases the chance of saving kidney function, preventing total kidney destruction, and avoiding complications.