Crushing kidney stones (lithotripsy) at the New Life Сlinic

Kidney stones, also known as nephroliths, calculi or urolithiasis, are hard structures formed in the kidneys from mineral and chemical deposits found in the urine. These formations can vary in size and composition, including crystals of calcium, oxalate, urea and other substances. The urology department of the New Life Clinic provides diagnosis and treatment of kidney and urinary tract diseases, modern non-invasive and effective treatment of urolithiasis, offering our patients modern methods for removing kidney stones:

1. Remote shock wave lithotripsy with ultrasound,
2. Ureteroscopic laser lithotripsy.

If even small stones are found in the kidneys and there are no painful sensations, you should not dissemble yourself that small stones are just small stones… Firstly, a pebble in the kidney grows like a pearl in a shell, so the question of the manifestation of pathology – it is the matter of time. Treatment in the early stages of KSD is much faster and more painless. And be sure after removing kidney stones, you need to think about eliminating their root cause. Secondly, it is small stones that, due to fast driving, shaking, heavy use of fluids or diuretic products or drugs, flow into the ureters and get stuck in them. That’s when the very painful symptoms of kidney stones appear. These symptoms of urolithiasis in men and women are exactly the same at any age: a stone stuck in the ureter prevents the outflow of urine from the kidney, the so-called (collective term) renal colic occurs:

• persistent or intermittent pain in the region of the kidneys, “dagger pain” in the kidneys
• partial or complete difficulty urinating and passing gases
• feeling worse, chills, weakness and temperature 37-37.5 C
• nausea and vomiting, urine with blood, urine with sediment and uncharacteristic fetid odor

It is impossible to remove a stone from the kidney or bladder on your own at home and without the help of a urologist, because no medicinal herbs and drug treatment of urolithiasis can dissolve a kidney stone. Modern drugs can only act as prophylactic satellites of treatment, preventing the process of stone formation. To date, one of the effective methods, fast in terms of the procedure and rehabilitation is remote shock wave lithotripsy.

Non-contact lithotripsy is a modern low-traumatic method for the treatment of urolithiasis, in which stones are crushed in the kidneys, bladder and ureter of the patient without any surgical intervention at all. Lithotripter equipment generates an acoustic wave outside the patient’s body, which is focused directly on a calculus (stone) located in the kidney, ureter or bladder. The calculus itself and up to 5 mm of surrounding tissues fall directly into the impact zone. In this zone, the destruction of the stone occurs, while tissue damage does not occur.

When carrying out the procedure of remote non-contact lithotripsy, no incisions, punctures are required, as well as the introduction of special endoscopic instruments into the lumen of the urinary tract, which makes this treatment method non-traumatic and highly effective.

Kidney stones up to 20 mm and ureteral stones up to 10 mm are the maximum sizes at which non-contact crushing by ultrasound will be the best choice for this method of treating KSD. When choosing this technique, stones with the indicated sizes in 98% of cases can be crushed.

1. Destruction of stone without surgical intervention
2. No hospitalization after the procedure
3. High percentage of success rate after one session,
4. The cost of non-contact lithotripsy is cheaper than other methods
5. Short procedure duration
6. Short recovery period
7. Minimal likelihood of any complications
8. Maximum safety, non-traumatic.

• pregnancy;
• blood coagulation disorders (hemophilia, taking anticoagulants, menstruation in women);
• deformation of the musculoskeletal system or a severe degree of obesity, which does not allow the patient to be positioned correctly and the shock wave to be accurately directed at the stone;
• active phase of the inflammatory process of the urinary tract;
• aneurysm of the aorta or any artery located in the zone of action of the shock wave;
• obstruction of the urinary tract below the location of the stone.

Laser lithotripsy (contact lithotripsy, ureteroscopy) is a method of treating urolithiasis that uses laser radiation to destroy or fragment stones in the kidneys, bladder or ureters. The procedure is carried out using special medical equipment that allows you to direct a laser beam precisely at urolithiasis, which contributes to their effective destruction or reduction in size. Laser kidney stone removal is often used as an alternative to surgical stone removal, thereby minimizing the invasiveness of the procedure and shortening the patient’s recovery time.

Laser kidney stone reduction is a minimally invasive procedure because it does not require any incisions or insertion of many instruments into the body. Instead, laser equipment can be inserted through the urethra or other natural openings, minimizing tissue trauma.

In this case, a high result is achieved: the stones located in the urinary tract are crushed into small fragments, which are removed during this procedure. Rehabilitation time is 1-2 days.

1. Possibility of instant removal of stones, ensuring unblocking of the upper urinary tract in the shortest possible time
2. Removal of ureteral stones located beyond the reach of ultrasound and x-ray
3. Removal of stones associated with anatomical abnormalities or distal obstruction of the upper urinary tract
4. The possibility of performing contact lithotripsy in pregnant women.

Over the past decades, the procedure for removing stones from the kidneys, bladder and ureter has undergone significant changes and has become less invasive (less traumatic). This revolutionary transition was driven by the invention of lithotripters, which made possible extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. The principle of operation is based on the destruction of stones in the kidneys and ureter of a person by focused shock waves generated in water outside the patient’s body.

The destruction of the stone occurs in several stages: first, the dense frame of the stone is destroyed, then cracks are formed, penetrating deeper and deeper with each impulse, leading to the destruction of the stone into small fragments (sand and less). The shock wave passing through the patient’s body outside the focus zone, in which the stone is located, does not damage tissues and organs. Ultimately, the particle size of the stone does not exceed 0.5-1 mm, which allows them to independently and freely exit through the urinary system. The final exit of the fragmented stone from the bladder and kidney occurs in the next 6-12 hours.