Lithotripsy Procedure?

Question

Recently I was diagnosed with a kidney stone. The doctor performed the lithotripsy procedure twice so far and the stone got smaller but not small enough to pass. Now he wants to do a third one. Is it normal to have a lithotripsy procedure more than once for the same stone? In my case three lithotripsy procedures within a month? I'm worried about any side effects or any permanent damage to the kidney. Please help.

Answer 1

Yes, it is common to have to undergo the procedure several times if the stone is large...apparently, your stone is large.

The only side effect is hematuria (blood in the urine) which may last 24 hours. It usually resolves on its own.

There are only two known complications:
1. steinstrasse (street of stones) occurs when many stone particles line up in the lower uterer causing a blockage. If someone has enough stones that this might happen, the urologist will insert a stent to prevent it.
2. peri-renal hematoma

The procedure, which uses focalized shock waves to break up the stones, has no other effect on the body nor does it damage your organs. This method sure beats the original method of surgery which involved a lot of risk and lots of post operative pain.

I hope "three times is a charm" for you and that your stone finally crumbles enough that you can pass it. Good luck!