Minimally Invasive Therapies for Kidney Stone Disease

This article describes kidney stones and the therapies that can be used for its treatment. These therapies are said to be minimally invasive, which is quite an advantage to the patient because the healing process is more rapid compared to previous surgeries that do not use laparoscopic methods. Surgeons may use operation microscopes during these sensitive procedures. Pain and discomfort is also greatly reduced because the incisions are often small and the risks for post operative infections are lessened to some degree. Urolithiasis or renal calculi is the diseases where stones or calculi are found in the bladder, ureters and very commonly, the kidneys. The incidence of this disorder peaks at ages 30 to 50 years old and is most common in men than women.

A person in predisposed to kidney stones when they lead a sedentary lifestyle or if they are rendered immobile because of a disease. Hypercalcemia, urinary tract infection, urine stasis and a high urine specific gravity are also factors that contribute to the formation of stones because they all lead to low urine output. A diet contains too much salt, red meat and not drinking adequate water also puts a person at risk. It is interesting to note that this disease is also hereditary.

For the prevention of kidney stones, it is recommended that your diet includes drinking at least 6 to 8 glasses of water per day and keeping salt intake to a minimum is key. However, if there are already stones present in your kidneys, this article describes the minimally invasive procedures the clinician may recommend for treatment.

The signs and symptoms of kidney stones may vary, depending on the type and size of the stones. Generally, the person may exhibit acute, sharp and intermittent pain, a dull or tender ache in the flank area, fever and chills from the infection, blood and pus in the urine and abdominal distention because of retained urine. In as much as 90 percent of the cases, kidney stones may pass out of the urinary tract by themselves with adequate hydration. Those which cause obstruction need immediate surgical treatment with the use of operation microscopes to assist the surgeon.

The article describes three treatments that are minimally invasive that are used to treat kidney stones. One of them, called ureteroscopy involves a small telescope-like instrument that is passed through the urethra, into the bladder and then through the ureters. It can break up stones in any of these passages by the inclusion of laser into the endoscope. This method can also be used to remove tissue to determine or rule out the presence of cancerous cells.

The second method is percutaneous nephrolithotomy or PCNL. This allows for large stones, often more than an inch in size, to be removed from the kidney. A tube with a diameter of an index finger is inserted into the kidney via the patient’s back. A telescopic tube is then inserted so that the clinician can view the stones inside the kidney. For a closer view of this by the surgeon, microscopes are essential like operation microscopes.

The third method, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy or ESWL, is probably the least invasive of all. As the name suggests, it uses shock waves to break up the stone in the kidneys so that it can be passed from the system more effectively, as sand and gravel.

With all surgeries, these interventions have some risks that needs to be explained in detail by the surgeon to the patient. Careful preparation of the patient need to be achieved to reduce potential complications in during or after the procedures discussed. Original article