Types Of Kidney Stones Treatment

Kidney stones treatment differ depending on the patient's condition and of course, the stones' size. Nevertheless, the aim of each treatment is to relieve pain by helping the stones to get flushed out through urination or by surgery.

Surgery is the last option in the list of different kidney stones treatment. It may be either an invasive or non-invasive surgery depending on the size of the kidney stones and their position. The goal of surgery is to remove large kidney stones that are blocking the urine flow that usually causes pain and infection.

Today, ESWL (Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy) is the latest technology in kidney stones treatment that is considered a good alternative to invasive surgery. Using ESWL, shockwaves are passed through the body of the patient to the location of the kidney stones. When the shockwaves reach the kidney stones, they will break down into smaller particles that can be flushed out from the body easily.

This type of kidney stones treatment is proven to be very efficient with only a few days of recovery. However, there are minimal side effects like discomfort, bruising and bleeding when urinating.

Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy can also be performed directly on kidney stones that are stuck in the ureter by inserting ureterscope (fiber-optic instrument) inside the urethra. The ureterscope will then transmit shockwaves to the stones to shatter them. Afterwards, the shattered stones will be pulled out.

If the stones are too large, invasive surgery is required. This method of kidney stones treatment uses a small incision in the lower back to make a passage way to the kidney. Once an incision is made, an instrument called nephroscope will be used to locate and grab the kidney stones.

Surgery often requires patients to stay in the hospital for a few days because a drain tube will be inserted into the kidney for cleaning and fast healing.

There are other methods of kidney stones treatment aside from Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy and invasive surgery involving pharmaceuticals that also have side effects. In fact, more medication is needed to manage these side effects. And generally, prescribed medication depends on the type of kidney stones that the patient has whether they are calcium stones, uric acid stones, struvite stones or cystine stones.

Aside from shockwave treatment, surgery and medications, there are other types of kidney stones treatment that use natural methods such as kidney detoxification through dieting and herbal supplements. To know more about the different options in treating kidney stones it is best to consult your physician.