The treatment of kidney stones depends on its size, location and composition. Keeping your body hydrated and taking certain medicines can help a small stone pass easily. However, for large problematic stones, there are certain other treatment options such as:
• Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy or ESWL is a process that uses shock (sound) waves to break or disintegrate a large kidney stone into tiny fragments so that it can easily pass out of the body through the urine. It has a success rate of 70% and isn’t used as commonly now as opposed to the past due to the need for repeat procedures for complete stone clearance. It is typically preferred in paediatric age-groups and for small soft stones.
• Ureteroscopic Stone Removal (URS) uses a small telescope with a laser to disintegrate stones stuck in the ureters. With a success rate of over 95%, it is the preferred modality of management of ureteric stones obstructing the flow of urine.
• Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL, PNL) is an endoscopic surgical procedure that is used to remove large stones (>2cm) from the kidneys, with a success rate of >95%. Nowadays, we use smaller sized instruments to gain access to kidney stones using Miniperc and Microperc techniques.
• Retrograde IntraRenal Surgery (RIRS) uses a flexible endoscope to enter the kidney through the urethra to crush stones or ablate tumours using a laser. Its success rate is >95% and is a lesser invasive technique to remove multiple renal stones, especially if lesser than 1.5cm.