Urinary tract stone surgery
What is urinary stone surgery?
Urinary tract stones begin to form in a kidney and may increase in size over time, and may be located either in the ureter or in the bladder. Depending on where the stone is located, it is called a kidney stone, ureteral stone or bladder stone.
Stones are formed because the urine is too saturated with salts which then become stones or because the urine lacks inhibitors of stone formation. Citrate is an inhibitor because it normally binds calcium, which is often involved in stone formation.
Stones, especially tiny ones, may be asymptomatic. Bladder stones may cause pain in the lower abdomen. Those that obstruct the ureter, renal pelvis, or any of the kidney’s emptying ducts cause back pain or renal colic. Renal colic is characterized by excruciating, intermittent pain, usually localized in the area between the ribs and the hip on one side, extending down the abdomen and often to the genital region. The pain tends to occur in waves, gradually increasing to its maximum intensity, then disappearing within 20 to 60 minutes. The pain radiates to the lower abdomen, towards the groin and testicles or vulva.
What is the procedure?
Currently, stone removal is performed with minimally invasive, endoscopic techniques such as flexible laser ureteroscopy, percutaneous nephrolithotomy, or laparoscopic ureterolithotomy, each option is determined based on the size of the stone, and the patient’s health conditions, any of these options allows an immediate recovery of the patient reincorporating to their daily life briefly.