Clinics & Inpatient Care Units
Urology - Kidney Stone Centre
Treatment options
Shockwave Lithotripsy -
Shock waves delivered from outside the body are used to break up
the stone.
Generally, SWL is used for patients who have kidney stones that have
not passed on their own, and that can be seen with X-rays. These
stones could be located in the kidney or ureter. In some situations,
an urologist may need to insert a tube or stent prior to lithotripsy.
In some cases, there may be specific reasons not to perform SWL,
and another procedure may be more appropriate.
Shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) is an excellent treatment for many patients with kidney stones, but not all. It is one of a number of different treatment options for kidney stones, and each treatment has benefits and drawbacks.
Ureteroscopy - A telescope is passed up the urinary passage to break up and remove the stone
Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy - A telescope is inserted into the kidney through a small incision in the back to break up and remove the stone
Mechanical Percussion and Inversion (MPI) -
This procedure sometimes follows SWL.
