Small or large, kidney stones that do not pass through your system naturally are painful and will need medical attention to remove the stones and give you relief. Your Glendora General Surgeon will order some medical tests to determine what is stopping the stones from passing through your system and which form of kidney stone surgery is best for your personal situation. The three kidney stone procedures most often performed are Shock Wave Lithotripsy, SWL, for small to medium stones located in the kidneys, Ureteroscopy for small to medium stones located in either the kidneys or ureter, and Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy or Percutaneous Nephrolithotripsy, PCNL, for larger stones that need to be broken up for removal.
Kidney Stone Operations
- Shock Wave Lithotripsy, SWL, is a non-invasive procedure that is performed as an out-patient operation and it does not require any incisions. You will be given a local anesthetic so that you will not feel any pain or discomfort during the operation. Your surgeon will locate the stones in your kidney using ultrasound and then directs shock waves that will pass through your skin into the kidneys to reduce the stone into small pieces that can pass through your bladder into your urine flow. A stent may be placed in your ureter to help the pieces pass through your system. The total procedure will take about one hour for completion. You will be able to go home after a few hours of post-operation observation.
- Ureteroscopy is a minimally invasive procedure that is performed as an out-patient operation and it does not require any incisions. You will be given a general anesthetic so that you will be asleep during the operation. Your surgeon will pass a thin, surgical, laparoscope with an attached small basket through your ureter and bladder to enter the kidney with the stones. The basket is used to capture and remove the stones. If the stones are too large for the basket, your surgeon will break up the stones with a laser that can be passed through the laparoscope. A stent may be placed in your ureter so that urine can easily pass from the kidney into the bladder for elimination. The stent will be removed during a follow-up office appointment with your surgeon. The total procedure will take about one hour for completion. You will be able to go home after a few hours of post-operation observation.
- Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy or Percutaneous Nephrolithotripsy (PCNL) is an operation that requires your surgeon to make one or two small incisions in either your side or back to reach larger stones in your kidney. You will be given a general anesthetic so that you will be asleep during the procedure and not feel any pain.
For the Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy procedure, your surgeon will insert a thin, flexible laparoscope through one incision to locate the stones and a tube is inserted into the other incision to suction out the stones. The instruments are removed, a stent is placed in your kidney for urine drainage, and the incisions are closed with sutures. The stent will be removed during a follow-up office appointment.
For the Percutaneous Nephrolithotripsy procedure, when the stones are too large for the tube removal, your surgeon will insert a thin, flexible laparoscope through one incision to locate the stones, then use a laser or high-frequency sound waves to break the stones into small pieces. A surgical vacuum is then inserted into the other incision to suction out the smaller pieces. The instruments are then removed, a stent is placed in your kidney for urine drainage, and the incisions are closed with sutures. The stent will be removed during a follow-up office appointment.
