The latest tool in technology, a nomogram called ROKS, or Recurrence of Kidney Stone, can predict future kidney stones in patients who have previously suffered from one.
ROKS uses 11 questions, developed from the data of 2,200 adults in Olmsted County, Minn., to calculate a patient's probability of suffering a second kidney stone up to 10 years after the first one.
The kidney stone prediction tool was created by researchers from the Mayo Clinic O'Brien Urology Research Center, and will be published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, according to News Ledge.
"If we knew which patients were at high risk for another symptomatic kidney stone, then we could better advise patients on whether to follow stone prevention diets or take medications," said Dr. Andrew Rule, lead author of the Mayo Clinic. "At the same time, patients who are at low risk of having another kidney stone may not need restrictive diets and medications."
Medical Daily defines kidney stones as small, solid deposits of mineral and acid salts that form inside of kidneys. The stones can affect any part of the urinary tract between the kidney and the bladder, typically in the spot where the urine concentrates.
There are diets and medications to help prevent a second attack, although Medical Daily says these methods can lead to side effects and are a costly burden to the patient.
ROKS will be able to determine how high the chance is of having a second attack, thus helping doctors give patient-specific advice, rather than a general post-attack guideline.
News Max Health reports that nine percent of men and six percent of women in the United States have experienced a kidney stone.
