We're improving the quality of people's lives with products for the treatment of urologic disease.

Treatment Options for Kidney Stones


Do kidney stones need to be treated?
The good news is that treatments for urinary stones are highly successful. The type of treatment your doctor will recommend depends on the size and number of stones you have as well as the location of the stones. In most cases, 80% of the stones are small enough to pass on their own; in this case, your doctor might recommend watchful waiting, as well as increasing your fluid intake to help flush the stones, and taking pain medication to help manage discomfort.

If the stone is too large to pass on its own, or if its causing urinary tract infections, blocking the flow of urine, or causing other complications, your doctor may choose from a variety of treatment options either singly, or in combination.

What are the most common ways of treating kidney stones?
While the most common method of treating kidney stones is watchful waiting and letting the stone pass on its own, there are instances when other methods must be used to break up and remove the stones.
These are:

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is a non-invasive treatment that uses shock waves to break up the kidney stones. The sound waves pass easily through the body but are strong enough to break up the stone. The stone fragments are then small enough to pass with the normal flow of urine.

Ureteroscopy is a minimally-invasive procedure in which a very thin scope (ureteroscope) is passed up the urinary tract to the stone's location. Anesthesia is generally used. Special instruments are then passed through the scope to either remove the stone or break it up for easier removal. Once the stone is removed or broken up your physician may place a temporary drain called a ureteral stent. This is a small hollow tube that runs from the kidney to the bladder and may be needed to keep the ureter open to drain urine and any stone fragments.

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy is an invasive procedure which is typically only used when you have very large kidney stones that cannot be removed either by ESWL or with a ureteroscope. It involves passing a narrow telescope through the skin at the back of the kidney. Special instruments are then passed again through this scope to either remove or break up the stone.

Open surgery is reserved for only the most complicated urinary stone cases and is very rare. In open surgery, the doctor makes an incision in the skin, and another in the kidney or ureter to remove the stone directly. Open surgery usually requires several weeks of recovery time.




References:
National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse:
Kidney Stones in Adults jul04
WebMD: Kidney Stones: Treatment Overview jul04
American Urological Association:
Medical Management of Stone Disease jul04, Surgical Management of Stones jul04, Management of Ureteral Stones jul04,


This site is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Only your physician can diagnose and appropriately treat your symptoms.

Overview of Disease
> Treatment Options
Overview of Bard Products
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
Glossary