Urinary Stones:

Stones in the urinary tract can involve the kidney, ureters, as well as the urinary bladder. Most stones are usually calcium. The Section of Urology provides all treatment options for treatment of stones anywhere in the urinary tract.

For treatment of stones in the upper urinary tract, several options are available including the following:

 

EXTRACORPOREAL SHOCKWAVE LITHOTRIPSY (ESWL):

This is a procedure done completely externally without any incision in the body whereby shockwaves generated through a water medium are focused on the stones located in the upper ureter or kidney, shattering the stones into smaller particles which are then spontaneously passed by the patient.

 

PERCUTANEOUS NEPHROSTOLITHOTOMY (PCN):

For larger stones of the kidney, this procedure involves a small puncture in the side through which several small to moderate sized tubes of about an inch in diameter are inserted to remove the stones from the kidney directly or to shatter them into smaller particles which are then removed through the small opening in the patient’s side.

 

For stones in the ureter, several options are available including:

EXTRACORPOREAL SHOCKWAVE LITHOTRIPSY (ESWL)

URETEROSCOPY:

This is a surgical procedure done through the natural opening of the urinary tract whereby a small telescope is inserted up the ureter and the stones in the ureter are either removed or fragmented and removed in smaller pieces.

 

URETEROSCOPIC LASER LITHOTRIPSY:

This is a procedure whereby larger stones in the ureter are fragmented using a small laser fiber and the small fragments are then removed through the natural openings in the urinary tract.

 

Bladder Stones

For stones in the bladder, minimally invasive procedures are also employed, such as laser lithotripsy or electrohydraulic lithotripsy whereby small probes are inserted through the natural opening in the urinary tract and stones are fragmented and removed from the bladder.