Stone Surgery

Most stones in the kidney and ureter can be dealt with today by breaking them into smaller fragments either from outside the body (lithotripsy) or from inside the body under anaesthetic (percutaneous or ureteroscopic stone surgery). Occasionally, neither is a good because the stone is either too hard to break or too large to treat in 1 or 2 sessions. Traditional surgery is then usually recommended.

The kidneys lie high in the abdomen, below the diaphragm and as a result can only be reached by traditional surgery through a large incision. The ureter is also relatively inaccessible, requiring freeing of the bowel before it can be reached. The laparoscopic operation is performed through 3 or 4 x 5-10 mm cuts near the rib cage.

>> Click here for the Stone Surgery information sheet

>> Click here for the Stone Surgery video