Kidney Stones Health Center
Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy or Nephrolithotripsy for Kidney Stones
In percutaneous nephrolithotomy or nephrolithotripsy, the surgeon makes a small incision in your back to remove kidney stones. He or she then puts a hollow tube into your kidney and a probe through the tube. In nephrolithotomy, the surgeon removes the stone through the tube. In nephrolithotripsy, he or she breaks the stone up and then removes the fragments of the stone through the tube.
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Understanding Kidney Stones -- the Basics
Kidney stones are created when certain substances in urine -- including calcium, oxalate, and sometimes uric acid -- crystallize. These minerals and salts form crystals, which can then join together and form a kidney stone. Kidney stones usually form within the kidney, where urine collects before flowing into the ureter, the tube that leads to the bladder. Small kidney stones are able to pass out of the body in the urine -- and may go completely unnoticed by you. But larger stones irritate...
Read the Understanding Kidney Stones -- the Basics article > >
You need either general anesthesia or regional or spinal anesthesia during this procedure. A small tube (catheter) may be inserted into the kidney to drain urine until the kidney heals.
What To Expect After Treatment
You will be in the hospital for at least 2 to 3 days. Most people are able to return to work within a few weeks.
Why It Is Done
This procedure may be used to treat kidney stones that are:
- Larger than 2 cm (0.8 in.) in diameter.
- Large and caused by an infection (staghorn calculi).
- Blocking the flow of urine out of the kidney.
- Not broken up by extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL).
How Well It Works
Percutaneous nephrolithotomy or nephrolithotripsy successfully removes stones in the kidney about 95 times out of 100 and successfully removes stones in the ureter about 88 times out of 100.1
Risks
Risks of this procedure include:
- Bleeding.
- Holes (perforation) in the kidney. They usually heal without further treatment.
- Injury to other abdominal organs, such as the bladder or colon.
- Damage that affects normal kidney function.
What To Think About
A stone that has left the kidney may need to be pushed back into the kidney with a small tool (ureteroscope) before the surgeon can do the procedure.
These procedures are used more frequently than extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) to remove larger stones, such as staghorn calculi. Every fragment of a staghorn calculus must be removed to prevent the stone from returning.
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WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
