Stone Disease Treatments

Ureteroscopy with laser lithotripsy is a minimally invasive, incision-free procedure that removes or breaks up stones in the ureter or kidney using a thin scope passed through the urinary tract.

It is used to treat stones causing pain, urinary obstruction, or infection, including stones that are too large or poorly positioned to pass on their own.

A small ureteroscope is advanced through the urethra and bladder to reach the stone. A laser fiber is then used to fragment the stone into tiny pieces that are removed or allowed to pass naturally. A temporary stent is sometimes placed afterward to help the ureter heal.

Ureteroscopy with laser lithotripsy offers high stone-clearance rates with quick recovery and is well suited to stones that are difficult to pass on their own.

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is a non-invasive treatment that uses focused shock waves generated outside the body to break kidney stones into smaller fragments that pass naturally in the urine.

It is typically used for smaller to moderate-sized stones in favorable locations within the kidney or upper ureter.

Imaging is used to precisely pinpoint the stone, and shock waves are then delivered through the skin to fragment it. No incision, scope, or instrument enters the body.

Recovery is generally rapid since nothing is introduced into the body, making ESWL often the least invasive surgical option for appropriately selected stones.

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is a minimally invasive surgery used to remove large or complex kidney stones through a small incision in the back.

It is the preferred treatment when stones are too large, too dense, or too complex to be effectively treated by ureteroscopy or shock wave therapy — including staghorn stones that fill the collecting system.

A narrow tract is created directly into the kidney, and specialized instruments are used to fragment and remove the stone in a single session. Most patients are discharged within a short hospital stay.

PCNL achieves high stone-clearance rates even for very large stones while remaining far less invasive than traditional open surgery, making it the cornerstone of treatment for complex kidney stone disease.

Laser cystolitholapaxy is a minimally invasive, scope-based procedure that uses laser energy to break up stones formed in the bladder so the fragments can be removed or flushed out.

It is used to treat bladder stones, which often develop in the setting of incomplete bladder emptying or outlet obstruction — for example, from an enlarged prostate.

A cystoscope is passed through the urethra to directly visualize the stone, and a laser fiber fragments it without any external incision. The procedure relieves symptoms such as pain, difficulty urinating, blood in the urine, and recurrent infection.

Because the underlying cause of bladder stones often involves obstruction or incomplete emptying, the contributing condition (such as BPH) can be evaluated and addressed at the same time for a more durable result.