Laser lithotripsy is a procedure to treat kidney stones. It uses a laser to break the stones into very small pieces. These pieces can be removed during the procedure. Or they may pass out of the body in the urine.
You may be awake for the procedure. Or you may have medicine to make you sleep. Either way, you will not feel pain.
The doctor puts the laser and other tools into your urethra and moves them into the ureter and perhaps the kidney. The urethra and ureters are the tubes that carry urine through and out of your body.
The laser is then used to break up the kidney stones. The doctor may also place a small, flexible tube inside one of your ureters. It helps the pieces of the stone pass through your body.
Most people are able to go home the same day of the procedure.
Procedures can be stressful. This information will help you understand what you can expect. And it will help you safely prepare for your procedure.
Laser lithotripsy is a way to treat kidney stones. This treatment uses a laser to break kidney stones into tiny pieces.
For several hours after the procedure you may have a burning feeling when you urinate. You may feel the urge to go even if you don't need to. This feeling should go away within a day. Drinking a lot of water can help.
Your doctor also may advise you to take medicine that numbs the burning. This medicine is called phenazopyridine. It is available by prescription and over the counter. Brand names include Pyridium and Uristat.
Your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic. This will help prevent an infection.
You may have some blood in your urine for 2 or 3 days.
Your doctor may have placed a small tube inside one of your ureters. Ureters are the tubes that connect the kidneys to the bladder. The small tube the doctor may have placed is called a stent. It may help the stone fragments pass through your body. Your doctor may remove the stent in a few weeks.
Most stone fragments that are not removed will pass out of the body within 24 hours. But sometimes it can take many weeks. If you have a large stone, you may need to come back for more treatments.
You may be awake for the procedure. Or you may have medicine to make you sleep. Either way, you will not feel pain. The doctor may use an X-ray to find the stone.
First, the doctor puts a thin viewing scope with small tools, a camera, and a laser into your urethra. The urethra is the tube that carries urine from your bladder to the outside of your body. Then the doctor moves the scope and tools through your urethra and bladder into your ureter. Ureters are the tubes that carry urine from your kidneys to your bladder. If needed, your doctor moves the scope into your kidney.
If the stone is large or is in your kidney, your doctor may need to make a small cut (incision) in your back and put a hollow tube into your kidney. In this case, the doctor uses the laser to break up the stone. Then he or she removes the pieces of the stone through the hollow tube.
Your doctor may also place a small, flexible tube inside one of your ureters. This tube is called a stent. It helps the pieces of the stone pass through your body. If you get a stent, your doctor will usually remove it in a few weeks.
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