Lithotripsy vs. Other Kidney Stone Treatment Options: Weighing the Pros and Cons

Did you know that 1 out of 10 people develop kidney stones in their lifetime? It is a collection of minerals and salt that merge and form hard substances that cause several symptoms. Luckily, with treatment, it can be removed. Learn about available kidney stone treatment options and their pros and cons in this article. If you want to know more about urological health, visit us at Doral Health and Wellness Urology Center and consult with the best nephrologists and urologists in East New York.

 

Kidney stone treatment options

Your kidney stone treatment depends on the stone’s size and symptoms.

 

If the stone is small and doesn’t cause any major symptoms, your doctor may recommend waiting 2 to 4 weeks for it to pass on its own. They may advise drinking plenty of water to keep the urine diluted and to prevent it from flushing out of your body. Drinking more water also helps to prevent stones from forming. Your doctor recommends you catch the stone in a strainer when you urinate so that they can test it for minerals to see if medication should be prescribed, to help you prevent more stones.

 

In case small stones cause discomfort before passing out from the body, your doctor may recommend over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. In case you have nausea, the doctor might prescribe a drug for that.

 

To provide extra help for passing the kidney stone, the doctor may prescribe medication such as calcium channel blockers and alpha-blockers. These medications can relax your ureter so that stones move more quickly causing less pain. It also helps to prevent kidney stones from forming that are created by uric acid or calcium oxalate. Common examples of alpha-blockers are tamsulosin and a drug combination of dutasteride and tamsulosin.

 

If your kidney stones are too large to pass on their own and cause signs like pain, bleeding, or trouble peeing because the stone might be blocking the flow of urine or the stone is in one kidney, then the doctor may recommend different procedures to break or remove the stone. Some common procedures are:

  1. Shock wave Lithotripsy (SWL):

This is the most common treatment for kidney stones to break into small pieces. This treatment works best for small or medium stones. In this procedure, your doctor uses sound waves to break the stones into tiny pieces, so that they can easily pass through urine.

The shock waves pass through a device from the outside of the body, which is why it is also known as extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL). It may cause moderate pain, so your doctor may give you sedation or light anesthesia to make you comfortable. The procedure generally lasts about 45 to 60 minutes.

While you can go home on the same day to get pain-numbing medicine beforehand, it is not a risk-free procedure. In some cases, it can cause blood in the urine, bruising on the back or abdomen, bleeding around the kidney or other nearby organs, and discomfort when stone fragments pass through the urinary tract.

 

Pros: It is a non-invasive procedure that requires no ureteral stent placement.

Cons: This procedure doesn’t work well on harder stones or stones that are far away from the skin. The remaining stone particles or dust need to be passed from below, which sometimes causes discomfort or is not removed at all, especially when the stones are larger or located in the lower part of the kidney. The risk of injury to adjacent organs is the lowest.

 

  1. Ureteroscopy:

This procedure can be used for all stones that are in the ureter and stones less than 1.5 cm in the kidney. In this procedure, your doctor inserts a thin tube scope equipped with a camera through your urethra and bladder to your ureter to reach the stone. Once the stone is located, the doctor uses special tools to either trap the stone if small, or break it into pieces by using a laser that passes through the scope.

Sometimes your doctor may place a small tube (stent) in the ureter to relieve swelling and promote healing. This may be removed in the doctor’s office in 3 to 5 days.

 

Pros: It has a higher success rate than SWL for ureteral stones, and is highly effective for stones in the kidney up to 1.5 cm.

Cons: This is an invasive procedure with the possibility of a ureteral stent placement for a few days. Its effectiveness decreases if the stones get larger. The risk of injury to genitourinary (GU) or adjacent organs is low.

 

  1. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy or percutaneous nephrolithotripsy (PCNL):

This procedure is used for larger stones or stones that are difficult to get from other procedures. In this procedure, the surgeon gives you general anesthesia and makes a small incision on your back. Then, the surgeon inserts a thin tube through there to reach your kidney stone, and some telescopes with tools are used to either remove (nephrolithotomy) or break the stone. A ureteral stent is also placed at the end of surgery, and you are given drugs so that you won’t feel pain. You need to stay in the hospital for 1 to 2 days to recover.

 

Pros: It has the highest success rate for clearing larger, harder, or more difficult-to-remove stones.

Cons: This is the most invasive procedure out of 3 stone removal procedures. The risk of injury to your Genito-urinary system or adjacent organs is low to moderate. Sometimes you need to stay a day or two at the hospital.

 

Rarely open or robotic surgery is used to remove the largest kidney stones if PCNL is not available, or the kidney looks like it is not working which increases the possibility of removing the stone itself.

 

Different kidney stone treatment options are recommended based on the stone size and your symptoms. Generally, for small stones, staying hydrated and medications are recommended which manage your symptoms and help in opening the ureter, so the stones flush out of your body. For medium to large stones, other procedures are recommended to remove the stones. Every procedure has its pros and cons, you can discuss with your doctor to find which one is the best for you.

 

If you need help with kidney stone removal, visit our urology clinic in Brooklyn to get professional medical help. Call us to book your appointment now!!!!

At Doral Health and Wellness Urology Center, our team of urologists will work with you in managing your disease and your quality of life. We also offer services, such as renal and bladder ultrasound. To schedule an appointment, please visit us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11212 or call 1-347-384-5690. You can also visit our website at https://www.urologistbrooklyn.com/.