Medullary sponge kidney (MSK) is a congenital disorder, meaning it is present from birth. MSK is characterized by cystic malformations in the kidneys and can present with symptoms such as chronic kidney stones, renal colic and recurrent kidney and urinary tract infections.
It is also referred to as Cacchi Ricci disease. An usual hallmark in some patients with this disease is the presence of “kidney gravel” which are small, sand like stones which are thought to occur because the nephrons in MSK patient’s kidneys did not form properly and therefore create the sand like stones in an effort to filter the body’s waste, but there is little research on the exact mechanisms of this disease to confirm or deny that theory.
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