Ureteroscopy for the Treatment of Stones

Ureteroscopy is one of the main procedures used

to treat kidney stones or ureteral stones.

It is typically an outpatient procedure that

lasts about one to two hours

and is done under general anesthesia.

Ureteroscopy involves pace placing a

telescopic camera into the urethra and into the bladder.

And from there the scope is passed into the ureter

or in the kidney, depending on where the stone is.

With the ureteroscope, we’re able

to put different instruments through to use.

One of them is the laser, which is one

of the instruments we use to break up the stones.

And, uh, we can also place a basket through the ureteroscope

to retrieve or remove the stones.

So, for example, for smaller stones,

we might remove the stone in one piece with a basket,

but for larger stones, we might use a combination of

fragment fragmenting with a laser

and basketing to treat the stone.

Because the ureteroscope can cause swelling in the ureter,

a temporary tube is placed into the kidney,

we call a ureteral stent,

and that stent stays in so

that the kidney can drain well

and is placed typically between three and 10 days.

Some of the risks of ureteroscopy include infection

and injury to the ureter,

and these happen very uncommonly.

Another risk is the risk of bleeding.

The risk of bleeding is very low,

but may most patients will notice blood in their urine,

for a few days that goes away on, on their own

after the procedure, or at least after the stent comes out.

The main advantage of ureteroscopy is

that it can treat a wide variety of stones

based on their size and location.

And because it is placed through the urethra,

it is, we do not use any incision

or any surgical incision for the procedure

so it can be safely performed in patients who cannot,

stop their blood thinners.

And compared to percutaneous nephro, lithotomy

and shockwave lithotripsy, ureteroscopy is the,

is preferred for treating patients for morbid

with morbid obesity or who are pregnant.

So for some of these

because of these reasons ureteroscopy is one

of the most commonly performed

stone procedures in the United States.