Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is a treatment that uses shock waves to break a kidney stone into small pieces, making it travel the urinary tract more easily and pass from the body.
ESWL is usually an outpatient procedure and takes about an hour. After the treatment, you will be able to go home and not have to spend a night in the hospital. The stone fragment will then usually pass in the urine for a few days and cause mild pain. If an individual has a larger stone, he or she may need more ESWL or other treatments. Be assessed by our specialist in urology in Tucson, Arizona to know if ESWL is apt for you.
So why is ESWL done? This procedure may be used on a patient who has a kidney stone that causes pain or blocks the urine flow. Kidney stones that are between 4 mm and 2 cm in diameter are most likely to be treated with this procedure. It may also work best for kidney stones that are lodged in the kidney or the part of the ureter close to the kidney. Your doctor may try to push the stone back into the kidney using a small instrument and then proceed with ESWL.
However, there are limitations to this procedure that may concern reproductive health or other issues. It is not used if the patient is pregnant, has a bleeding disorder, has a kidney infection, UTI, or kidney cancer, or has kidneys with abnormal structure or function.
To know if you are a good candidate for ESWL, call Choi Urology right away! We also offer other services for both women and men’s health in Arizona.