A fizzy drink-hooked man who drank up to three litres of it every day had to have 35 stones removed from his bladder.
The 60-year-old man went under the knife after spending about four months complaining of pain and difficulty urinating.
After a successful, two-hour open cystostomy, his surgeon shared a video showing how the dislodged stones filled a whole kidney dish.
Thales Franco de Andrade told local media: “When we performed an ultrasound, we confirmed he had bladder stones, but we didn’t know how many.
“It was during surgery that I was surprised to find 35 stones, each about one centimetre or larger.
“It felt like I was entering a cave filled with stones.”
One factor that led to the development of the calcium stones was the patient’s enlarged prostate, which pressed on his urethra.
But by far the chief contributing factor was his staggering fizzy drink consumption, as reported by Need To Know.
Dr Andrade explained how the patient often placed bets on pool games at his regular bar.
His winning streak led him to take home countless bottles of pop as prizes.
According to Dr Andrade, the man drank “two to three litres of Coca-Cola every day”.
The urologist told local media: “This, together with his lack of water intake, enlarged prostate, and narrowing of the urinary tract, meant he couldn’t fully empty his bladder, causing urine retention and consequently the formation of the stones.
“The situation was so serious that, in my 11 years of practice, it was the case that shocked me the most.”
The patient is not obese, Dr Andrade revealed.
But, “he was in so much discomfort that when the stones moved down the urinary tract to his penis, causing difficulty urinating, he would use a pen cap to push the stones back”.
The bladder stones were so heavy that the man was about 600 g (1 lb 5 oz) lighter after the op in Capinópolis, west-north-west of Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Following a smooth recovery, his catheter was removed on 7 May.
Dr Andrade had some words of advice for anyone who is worried about developing bladder stones.
He said: “The best approach is to drink more water and be mindful of how much sugar you consume in your diet.”
