A kidney stone may cause no symptoms at all, or it may cause symptoms such as severe flank pain, blood in the urine (pink, red, or brown urine), fever, chills, frequent urination or an inability to urinate, nausea, and vomiting.

Sometimes a very large stone causes no symptoms at all, while at other times even a tiny stone can lead to a very serious clinical condition.

To relieve the pain and determine the treatment method, the location and size of the stone must be identified using imaging techniques such as CT scans and ultrasounds.

At this stage, a decision is made regarding whether medication or surgery is necessary.