Ureteroscopy Lithotripsy: A Non-Surgical Option for Urinary Tract Stones

SCENTED WATER RADAR – Urinary tract stones are one of the most common health problems in the kidneys and urinary tract, especially among men.

Kidneys play an important role in the human body system which cleans the blood from toxic substances and impurities before being circulated throughout the body. When urinary tract stones appear, there must be medical treatment to remove them, so that the body’s system is maintained normally. There are a number of treatment options for urinary tract stones, especially in the ureters without open surgery, one of which is ureteroscopy (URS) lithotripsy.

URS is a procedure to see the urinary tract that passes through the bladder to the ureter. How to see it using a tool such as a small telescope through the urethra after the bladder has left the body. “The name of this procedure is ureteroscopy lithotripsy, people often abbreviate ureteroscopy or URS,” said Dr. Yulian Salis Patriawan SpUT from Genteng Hospital.

URS is done to break up and remove the stone from the ureter. In this procedure, the doctor will insert a ureteroscope through the urinary tract. There are two ways that can be applied in URS, for small stones, the doctor inserts the ureteroscope directly into the urinary tract. “The type of ureteroscope used is equipped with a kind of small wire basket at the end, this is to accommodate broken stones,” he explained.

If the size of the stone is larger, he explained, the doctor uses a ureteroscope after which the stone is broken up pneumatic lithotriptor, a shock wave of oxygen energy and small pieces can easily pass through the urine. “Both of these methods do not require a surgical procedure,” he explained.

Ureteroscopy is often used in removing stones from the urinary tract. Generally, only small to medium sized stones. “For stones in the kidney, usually use the method extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy or ESWL,” he explained.

According to Dr. Yulian, not all kidney stone patients can undergo ESWL. Patients who are pregnant, very overweight, have large stones, or have blood clotting problems, are safer to undergo URS than ESWL. For large stones, handling percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) or open surgery. (abi)