Doctors remove 3.1kg stone from man's bladder and claim record

What the report says

Doctors in Sri Lanka have removed a 3.1kg bladder stone from a 55-year-old man during surgery at Trincomalee General Hospital in the east of the country, according to BBC World News. The BBC said the patient had originally been admitted after a stroke, and doctors later found the stone after he reported difficulty urinating.

The stone was described as about the size of an ostrich egg and as heavy as a full-term baby. The surgeon leading the operation, Dr Prahalahan Balakrishnan, said the team believed it was the largest bladder stone ever documented and removed through surgery. The BBC also reported that the patient was in good condition after the procedure.

Doctors said the stone may have been developing in the bladder for five to 10 years. In general medical terms, bladder stones can form when urine becomes concentrated and minerals crystallize, especially if the bladder does not empty fully. Larger stones can block urine flow and usually need treatment.

The case is notable because it appears to surpass a previously cited record from Brazil in 2003, when a 1.9kg bladder stone was removed. While that comparison comes from the BBC’s reporting and related record references, the Sri Lanka case has not yet been independently verified as a formal world record.