Kidney stones aren't life threatening. However they
are one of the most painful diseases anyone may
experience. Good thing there are several procedures
for the removal of kidney stones. Most of these
treatments do not require surgery but if the stones
are too big it might require surgery.
The first
treatment is a conservative treatment, one in which
is the simplest way to flush the stones out. It is
by drinking lots of water, around eight to ten
glasses a day. This will be sufficient enough to
push the stones down the urinary tract and out of
your body. Exercise along with water, can also help
removing the kidney stones.
Another procedure is the ureteroscopic stone
removal. This process does not require incision.
What the surgeon does is thread a ureteroscope
through the urethra and bladder and up to the
ureter. Once there the surgeon either pulls out the
kidney stones or applies ultrasonic or energy to
break down the stone into smaller pieces
Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy is the most
common procedure for the removal of kidney stones
that are just too large to flush out from the body.
It does not require surgery as well. What is done is
a machine sends shock waves into the abdomen, and
these shock waves where they break down the stones
until they are dissolved into smaller pieces that
can pass through the urine. It does not involve the
use of scalpel as well but it does have its side
effects. It can cause bruising and some abdominal
pains.
Another type of procedure for kidney removal is
the percutaneous nephrolithotomy. This procedure is
used when sound waves can't reach the
kidney stones.
The procedure is done by making a small incision at
the back of the patient. Then the surgeon inserts an
instrument called a nephroscope that enters the
kidney removing the stones. After percutaneous
nephrolithotomy, patients need to stay in the
hospital for a few days. The definitive advantage of
this operation is that the surgeon is able to take
out all the kidney stones during the procedure. So
the patient does not have to undergo the process of
urinating the broken down stone pieces after the
procedure.
