New Branson clinic tackles troubles with recurring kidney stones

Kidney stones are common, but can disrupt a patient’s life when they keep coming back. That’s why Cox Medical Center Branson’s urology team is taking a new, comprehensive approach to help medically manage them.

The Metabolic Stone Clinic aims to find the root cause of recurring stones by analyzing a patient’s medical history and their diet – a component often overlooked when putting together a treatment plan.

“A person’s nutrition is a huge part of the puzzle,” explains urologist Dr. Jerry Givens. “Everything from protein intake, salt use, calcium and fluid intake can affect stone development.”

Givens says individuals with a history of multiple stones can get a physician’s referral to the clinic, which will perform full assessments on patients the first Wednesday of each month.

Appointments take about 30 minutes and include a formal nutritional assessment and an in-depth look at medical history. Patients will supply a 24-hour urine test, which Givens says is key to showing which factors in the person’s diet might be causing stones.

“Our goal is to prevent stones in the first place so patients don’t have to keep having surgery,” Givens says. “We’ll pull together all our resources and come up with a treatment plan over the course of a few visits. There aren’t a lot of urology groups taking this comprehensive approach, so we’re really excited to be part of a plan that will give our patients answers and a better quality of life.”

The Metabolic Stone Clinic is located in the Outpatient Center at Cox Branson. For more information, call 417-348-8080.