Over the years, the number of treatments available for patients with ureteric and kidney stones has increased significantly, and the availability of lasers to treat stones has been a catalyst for many of these advances. Before you go ahead with any treatment for stones, it is important that your surgeon discusses the many different options that may be appropriate for your particular stone.
One of the options that you may be offered is laser stone surgery. This is a minimally invasive form of surgery without any need for incisions in the body. The patient is given a general anaesthetic so that they are asleep throughout the operation. A very small telescope (a ureteroscope) is inserted via the urethra and bladder to access the ureters and kidneys.
Once the stone is located, a laser is used to break up the stone. Using a laser ensures a high degree of accuracy at the operative site using fine, flexible fibreoptic fibres that deliver a very high energy to the stone. This breaks the stone into smaller pieces, which are then removed. This will generally take less than one hour to complete.
After the surgery, a ureteric stent may be placed between the kidney and bladder. This helps to promote healing and allow the kidney to drain whilst the post-operative swelling settles. This is usually left in for around one week after surgery.