Topics of the Webinar:

• How do kidney stones affect quality of life
• Advancements in kidney stone treatment
• Life hacks: Practical dietary tips for kidney stone patients
• Advancement in kidney stone research

The main goal of this year’s event was to educate the general community on how diets can affect kidney stones and in particular the various different diets that have been popular among the general public. By educating patients on the various diet options, the Stone Centre team wanted to promote healthy and knowledgeable decision making in respect to patients’ dietary habits, as well as to minimize any confusion or misunderstanding about how different foods can affect the formation of stones. Dr. Zalunardo is a nephrologist who provided her expert knowledge in handling kidney stones and provided information on when a nephrologist should be a part of a stone patient’s care. Dr.Chew discussed what types of imaging is available to patients, and the pros and cons of each imaging modality. Lastly, Dr.Chew and Dr.Lange spoke about the new ground-breaking kidney stone research that has been happening at VGH. Near the end of the Webinar, we held a Q&A session where many of the participants’ questions were answered by the clinicians. Although we hold patient information events annually, our team decided to take our event online through Zoom due to COVID19. Through this event, the Stone Centre team wants to foster a sense of community between the Clinicians, Researchers and Stone Patients so that no patient feels helpless or alone in their fight against kidney stones.