The New York Times reports that kidney stones are a common consequence and post-surgical side effect in patients who have weight loss surgery. The article, calling from the June issue of the Journal of Urology, states that: "almost 8 percent of obese patients who underwent a procedure known as Roux-en-Y had kidney stones within two years of the operation. In comparison, kidney stones developed in just  under 5 percent of similiar patients who did not undergo surgery."

Nevertheless,  Dr. Brian Matlaga, an assistant professor of Urology at Johns Hopkins University and one of the major researchers in the study, stated that this side effect should not be one that deters patients from undergoing this type of procedure.

"The takeaway message is not that bariatric surgery is a bad thing because patients are twice as likely to get a kidney stone," Dr. Matlaga stated in the New York Times. Rather, the message is "to recognize they're at at increased risk and give them appropriate counseling."

At AllMed, we help hospitals and payers alike make sure that the costs and benefits of every procedure or treatment are weighed carefully in order to give the patient the best and most effective healthcare and treatment he or she needs.

To read the full article, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/18/health/18stones.html?_r=1&ref=health