In brief
Doctors in Sri Lanka performed a surgery that removed a 3.1kg bladder stone, the heaviest of its kind ever documented. The 55‑year‑old patient was in hospital after a stroke when doctors noticed trouble urinating and discovered the stone. The stone, roughly the size of an ostrich egg, sat in the bladder for 5–10 years before being removed. Scientists compare it with the previous record in Brazil, which weighed 1.9kg, and note that stones over 4cm are deemed giant.
Doctors in Sri Lanka have taken down a blazingly large bladder stone weighing 3.1kg – a new world record.
The stone was found while a 55‑year‑old patient was treated for a stroke. When doctors saw he couldn’t pass urine, imaging revealed the giant stone had been sitting in his bladder for years.
Surgeon Dr Prahalayan Balakrishnan led a team that removed the stone; it was the size of an ostrich egg and as heavy as a newborn. He said the patient is now stable and continuing treatment for other conditions.
The stone had sat there for about five to ten years, growing as trapped urine crystallised. Experts note that stones longer than 4cm are considered giant.
Previous Guinness world record was a 1.9kg stone removed in Brazil in 2003. Sri Lanka’s case surpasses that by a substantial margin.
Images show the surgeon holding a massive stone and a close‑up of the bladder stone itself.
Surgeon holding a giant bladder stone in Sri Lanka.
Close‑up of the 17cm‑wide bladder stone.
