Urinary stone disease (urolithiasis) is a common problem in Australian men and women. Stones can form anywhere in the urinary tract, but most commonly in the kidney, and can present with pain but there are other potential manifestations. Modern imaging, particularly with dedicated low dose CT scanning, are very accurate to define urinary stones. Stone management encompasses detailed evaluation of urinary stone formation risk, including lifestyle factors, consideration of different treatment modalities, and overall advice regarding future stone prevention.
Modern technology with minimally invasive treatments are offered by the doctors in our practice and include shockwave lithotripsy (focused soundwaves delivered through the skin, to break up the stone), telescopic stone fragmentation (either via the abdominal wall overlying the kidney as percutaneous nephrolithotomy, or via the lower urinary tract, such as ureteroscopy with laser stone fragmentation).
These treatments offer the potential for safe, minimally invasive clearance of stone, and are offered by our urological surgeons.