Kidney Stone

• Ureteroscopy (URS) is used to get rid of ureteric calculus. Often the stone requires fragmentation with a laser which then allows the smaller fragments to be removed with a grasping device. Only about 10-15% of urethral stones require surgical intervention. URS is approximately 95% successful in removing stones in the lower ureter and about 85-90% successful in treating and removing stones in the upper ureter and kidney.
• URS is an outpatient procedure meaning that patients generally go home the same day. The procedure is typically done using general anesthesia; however sometimes regional anesthesia can be used successfully in select cases. A preoperative antibiotic is usually given to prevent infection. The procedure can vary in length-sometimes as short as 20 minutes for small un-complicated stones, to one (1) or longer for larger, more complicated stones.

Patient will recover while the anesthesia wears off. That could take 1 to 4 hours. Sometimes a stent (a small tube to offer support) will be left in place.

Patient may have some pain when passing urine and see a little blood in your urine for the next 24 hours. After that, there shouldn’t be much pain or discomfort.