Doctors in Sri Lanka have removed a massive 3.1kg (6.8lb) bladder stone from a 55-year-old man in what they believe could be the largest bladder stone ever surgically removed.
The procedure was performed last week at a hospital in Trincomalee, eastern Sri Lanka, after doctors discovered the unusual condition while treating the patient for a stroke.
According to BBC Sinhala, the man had been experiencing difficulty urinating. Further examination revealed stones in his urinary bladder, prompting doctors to perform surgery.
The stone removed during the operation weighed about as much as a full-term baby and measured 18.7cm in length—roughly the size of an ostrich egg.
Dr Pragalathan Balakrishnan, who led the surgical team, said the stone could be the largest bladder stone documented and removed through surgery.
“According to available records, it is the largest bladder stone ever documented and removed through surgery,” Balakrishnan told BBC Sinhala.
He said the patient was in “very good health” following the operation, although he remains in hospital receiving treatment for his other medical conditions.
The doctor estimated that the stone had remained in the man’s bladder for between five and 10 years.
Bladder stones develop when minerals in concentrated urine crystallise and form hard masses. They are often associated with conditions that prevent the bladder from emptying completely.
While small stones can sometimes pass naturally, larger stones may obstruct the flow of urine and require medical treatment. Stones measuring more than 4cm are generally considered giant bladder stones.
The previous Guinness World Records-listed record for the largest bladder stone involved a 1.9kg (4.2lb) stone removed from a patient in Brazil in 2003. That stone measured 17.9cm in length.
The Sri Lankan stone, at 3.1kg and 18.7cm long, is therefore substantially heavier and longer, although formal recognition of any new record would depend on verification by the relevant record-keeping authority.
