Laser Surgery for kidney Stones

Kidney stones are the hard deposits of minerals and salt formed inside your kidneys. These are also called as Renal calculi, nephrolithiasis or urolithiasis. These can affect any part of the urinary system from kidneys to bladder. If kidney stones are not expelled, they travel through bladder and leads in formation of the bladder stones.

Kidney stones can also be formed if:

• You already have Kidney stones before
• You don’t drink enough water
• Someone from your family had Kidney stones (Hereditary)

Types of Kidney Stones:

• Calcium stones: These are most common type of kidney stones, in the form of calcium oxalate. Oxalate is directly made by liver or absorbed from diet like having certain fruits, vegetables, nuts and chocolates that are rich in oxalate.
• Struvite stones: These are responsible for urinary infection. These can grow quickly, become larger.
• Uric acid stones: These are formed when there is excess flow of fluid due to chronic diarrhoea. Observed mostly in diabetic or metabolic syndrome.
• Cystines stones: These are formed due to hereditary disorder called cystinuria which leads on excreting too much of specific amino acid from kidneys.

Symptoms: The symptoms are not usually detected until these stones move within kidney and pass the ureters through the tubes that contain the kidney and ureters. It blocks the flow of urine which leads in swelling of the kidney that may experience following symptoms:

• Severe pain in the lower abdomen
• Sharp pain below the ribs
• Pain and burning sensation while urination
• Nausea and vomiting
• Urinating more often than usual
• Change in colour of urine

Diagnosis and Tests:

Blood Testing: This reveals the level of calcium and uric acid in your blood that help in monitoring the health of your kidneys.

Imaging: It helps in identifying the location of the stone, size and blockage of urine by taking CT,X-ray or ultrasound

Urine test: Urine examination to detect unusual or having any urinary tract infection.

Cystoscopy (for Bladder stones): It is procedure that examines the bladder and the urethra by inserting the cystoscope (a hollow tube with lens) to identify the stones.

 About the Procedure:

Laser surgery is a procedure performed using the special light beams instead going under knife for surgical problems. In this process, a smaller instrument (ureteroscope) is places in your urethra and to access your kidney and ureters. A laser fibre transmits Holmium energy after the stone is seen. It breaks the stone into smaller pieces and removes them with small basket through urethra, and smaller pieces can pass out by urination. Using the high frequency, high-powered holmium laser that turns stones into fine powder “dust”.

The surgeon is likely to insert a tube between the kidney and urethra called stent. This stent helps in healing and easy passing of the stone fragments. It helps kidney to drain during the healing process. This stent is removed after one week of the surgery.

Why chose Laser?

• No cuts and scars
• Speedy Recovery within 1-2 weeks
• No risk of infections
• Minimally invasive pain