Three Treatment Options for Kidney Stones That You Can’t Pass

When you’re dealing with intense pain, urinary problems, or other uncomfortable symptoms, the last thing you want is to be told to wait. 

At Family Urology Associates, the foremost urology practice serving Frederick, Maryland, patient-focused urologist Dr. Mohammed Haseebuddin, aka Dr. Haseeb, and our experienced team help you eliminate painful kidney stones. We offer round-the-clock, attentive care for urological emergencies like severe kidney stones. 

This month's blog covers three of our go-to treatments for kidney stones. All are highly effective and offer fast relief for stones that you can’t pass.

Shockwave therapy: Break up stones without surgery

When you’re in pain from a kidney stone, the idea of undergoing surgery can be overwhelming. Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) is a gentle, noninvasive option that doesn’t require any incisions or scopes.

This outpatient procedure uses targeted ultrasound shockwaves to break your kidney stone into tiny pieces that can pass naturally through your urine.

Dr. Haseeb uses a special device, a lithotripter, to send shockwaves directly through your skin to reach the stone inside your kidney. The shockwaves pulverize kidney stones, creating microscopic shards you flush out when you urinate.

No surgical cuts: The shockwaves do all the heavy lifting here. ESWL is usually best for kidney stones that are 1-2 cm (about three-quarters of an inch) or smaller.

Because it's nonsurgical, this procedure usually has a quick recovery. Most patients get back to regular activities in only a day or two. You may feel some minor discomfort, like a feeling of graininess, as your body flushes out the kidney stone, but it's far more comfortable than passing a whole stone.  

Ureteroscopy: A precise, minimally invasive solution

Large stones, or those lodged in a difficult-to-reach area, can make ESWL less effective. That’s where ureteroscopy may come in. It goes straight to the source of the problem and removes it.

During ureteroscopy, Dr. Haseeb guides a slender, flexible tube, a ureteroscope, through your urethra and bladder to reach the ureter or kidney where your stone is stuck. Using the built-in camera on the ureteroscope, he can view your kidney stone in detail. 

The ureteroscope has a separate channel, through which Dr. Haseeb can thread a special basket, attached to a wire. He can use the basket to collect and remove a kidney stone through that channel if it's small enough to fit. If the stone is too large, he delivers laser energy through the ureteroscope to break up the stone, and he removes the pieces with the basket.

This approach clears the blockage without making any external incisions, getting you out of pain without surgery. Recovery may take a few days, up to a week.

PCNL: The gold standard for complicated stones

When a kidney stone is quite large or unreachable with ureteroscopy, Dr. Haseeb may recommend percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). This surgical procedure is the gold standard approach in complex situations.

Through a small incision in your back or side, Dr. Haseeb uses a specialized endoscope (a nephroscope) to create a direct path to your kidney. From there, he can use special surgical tools to remove the stone.

Although PCNL usually requires general anesthesia, it's still a minimally invasive procedure because it requires only a small incision. Recovery can take 2-4 weeks, but then your kidney stone saga is over.

After all kidney stone treatments, Dr. Haseeb and our team work with you to develop a prevention plan. Healthy lifestyle choices may help you avoid this same problem in the future.

Our priority is giving you rapid pain relief while protecting your long-term health. Dr. Haseeb always recommends the least invasive, most effective treatment that fits your unique situation.

If you're in a world of hurt due to a kidney stone that you can’t pass, connect with us online or call 301-606-0551 to book your consultation with Dr. Haseeb at Family Urology Associates.