Surgeons Remove World’s Largest Kidney Stone From Retired Soldier

When I am 62 years old Canistus Coonghe had surgery on June 1st, he probably didn’t think he would get a Guinness World Record holder.

But the retired Sri Lankan Army soldier is in the record books after military surgeons removed what has been declared the largest and heaviest kidney stone in the world.

The grapefruit-sized growth measures around 5.26 inches long, which Guinness World Records notes was larger than Coonghe’s 4.6-inch kidney. The stone weighed 1.76 pounds, easily surpassing the previous record for the heaviest stone ever found, according to Guinness.

Dr. Kugadas Sutharshan removed Coonghe’s stone through an incision in his kidney pelvis, a procedure called an open pyelolithotomy. according to USA Today.

Despite the obvious blockage, doctors said Coonghe’s kidney was functioning normally. Although her liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and spleen were also normal in size, her prostate was enlarged.

Coonghe is still recovering from the surgery but is doing well, according to Guinness.

An X-ray of the stone before surgery shows how big it was on Coonghe’s body.

And that’s how it was after surgery.

The previous largest kidney stone was a 5.11-inch growth removed from Vilas Ghuge of India in 2004. The previous record holder for the heaviest stone belonged to Wazir Muhammad of Pakistan, whose 1.36-pound growth was removed in 2008. .

Kidney stones are typically formed when minerals and salts crystallize into hard deposits. The stones are sometimes caused by chronic dehydration and certain medical conditions, such as gout and inflammatory bowel disease, and it can cause a lot of pain.

Most are eliminated through the urine. Others require shock wave therapy or surgery.