Lithotripsy and Minimally Invasive Laser Treatments

Many patients we see at Somerset Urological Associates come to us to treat a kidney stone, or a reoccurrence of kidney stones. We understand the discomfort and pain associated with kidney stones, which is why we are proud to offer the leading treatments for kidney stones to our patients, Shock Wave Lithotripsy and Minimally Invasive Laser Treatment. Each of these procedures is designed to break up large kidney stones that have developed in the urinary tract, providing comfort to the patient as the smaller sized stones pass.

Shock Wave Lithotripsy is the most common treatment for kidney stones in the United States. The treatment utilizes shock waves from outside of the body, targeted at where the kidney stone is located. The shock waves cause the kidney stone to break into smaller pieces, called “stone dust”, which are small enough to pass in urine. This technique works better with some stones than others. If the stone that has developed is very large, or if it is in a difficult to access portion of the urinary tract, the lithotripsy may not be effective. This non-invasive treatment does not require any incisions and is performed on an outpatient basis. Some level of anesthesia will be utilized to help keep the patient still and comfortable during the procedure, which usually takes forty five to sixty minutes to complete.

In instances where kidney stones are too large to be effectively treated using Shock Wave Lithotripsy, Somerset Urological Associates may elect to utilize a minimally-invasive laser treatment method to ensure that the blockage caused by the stone is cleared. In this treatment, a long narrow camera called a ureteroscope, is inserted through the urethra and passed along the urinary tract until it reaches the location of the kidney stone. Once located, a small laser fiber attached to the ureteroscope is used to break apart the kidney stone into small pieces that can be easily passed with urine. Similar to Shock Wave Lithotripsy, the treatment is usually able to be completed on an outpatient basis, with an operative time of around one hour.

Somerset Urological Associates is here to help our patients handle the discomforts and frustrations associated with chronic kidney stone occurrence. Our skilled team has treated kidney stones in Somerset County and the surrounding counties for over forty years. If past kidney stone treatments haven’t delivered the results you desire, come visit Somerset Urological Associates to meet with our talented team of doctors to learn more about how we can provide an quick and painless treatment with long-term effectiveness.