Kidney Stones Treatment and Removal

Kidney stones removal may be necessary for certain patients. Sometimes it’s not possible for the patient to pass a kidney stone and kidney stone surgery may be required. The doctors at Urology Specialists will first conduct a thorough examination, which includes finding out a detailed medical history and analyzing results of several diagnostic tests. In this way, our doctors will be able to offer you the options for treating or removing your kidney stones that is best for your condition and overall health.

Kidney stones removal can be done using several different methods. One type of kidney surgery is called percutaneous nephrolithotomy. The doctor makes a small incision in the patient’s back to access the kidney stone. The surgeon then inserts a tube into your kidney along with a probe inside the tube to perform the kidney stone removal. While the kidney is healing after this kidney stones surgery, a catheter will be inserted into the kidney to drain the urine. The risks, such as bleeding or damage to normal kidney function, are somewhat higher with this procedure because it is more invasive than other procedures.

The extracorporal shock wave lithotripsy, or ESWL, is a more common approach. From outside the body, doctors use sound waves to blast the kidney stones into tiny pieces. Often doctors will insert a stent, which is a small tube, to help keep the passageway open and allow the particles to pass easier. An ESWL procedure may need to be performed more than once if the patient is still not able to pass kidney stone fragments or particles.

Kidney stones that are lodged in the ureter can be removed using a narrow fiber optic instrument called an ureteroscope. A video camera that is connected to the scope guides the surgeon to gently insert a small kidney stone basket to catch the stones and pull them out. If that is not successful, doctors may perform an ureteroscopic laser lithotripsy. This involves the use of a Holmium laser to pulverize the stone into thousands of small sand-like particles that are flushed out with the urine.

Kidney stones removal, whether performed through a type of urologic surgery or a less invasive method, can be effective in relieving a patient’s symptoms. However, patients need to make adjustments in their lives to prevent kidney stones from redeveloping. Doctors in our Florida urology practice will assist you in determining any dietary needs, treatment methods, or changes in lifestyle that may be required to ensure a reoccurrence of renal stones does not happen.

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