Doctors in Sri Lanka remove 3.1kg stone from man’s bladder and claim record

Doctors in Sri Lanka have successfully removed a massive 3.1kg bladder stone from a 55-year-old patient, potentially setting a new world record for the largest ever removed through surgery. The unprecedented procedure took place at a hospital in Trincomalee, located in eastern Sri Lanka.

The patient had initially been admitted to the hospital for a stroke, but it was during his treatment that doctors discovered the enormous stone obstructing his urinary bladder. The stone's weight was equivalent to that of a full-term baby and measured around the dimensions of an ostrich egg.

Dr Prahalahan Balakrishnan, the leading surgeon who performed the surgery, stated that the removed stone is the biggest ever documented and extracted via surgical means. He added that the patient was in good health overall. Despite the daunting nature of the operation, the patient remains hospitalized and continues to receive treatment for his other health issues.

Bladder stones form when minerals in urine crystallize, creating solid lumps. They typically develop when the bladder does not empty completely, resulting in concentrated urine that turns into crystals. While small stones, similar in size to grains of sand, can pass spontaneously, those larger than 1cm often obstruct urine flow and necessitate medical intervention. Stones exceeding 4cm are classified as giant.

In comparison, the Guinness World Records record for the largest bladder stone belongs to a patient in Brazil, who had the stone removed in 2003. This stone weighed 1.9kg and measured 17.9cm in length. The newly removed stone in Sri Lanka, at around 17cm in length, closely approaches the Brazilian record.