Kidney Stones Treatment

The type of kidney stones treatment you need depends upon the size, location and type of your kidney stone.

We are a specialist kidney clinic offering the full spectrum of kidney stones treatment. This means we are able to offer the most minimally invasive approach, where appropriate and treat the most complex types of stones.

We provide an acute kidney stones service, responding quickly to patients with sudden onset of pain from kidney stones. We can normally see patients with severe pain within 24 hours because we recognise kidney stones treatment is urgently needed. We also undertake full metabolic investigation of your stones and develop an individual plan to reduce the risk of kidney stones recurrence.

“Kidney stones can be extremely painful and distressing. Fortunately, there are effective treatments bringing immediate relief and we are able to respond to each patient’s needs very quickly.”

Simon Choong, Consultant Urologist,
Harley Street Urology

Non-surgical Kidney Stones Treatment

If your stone is less than 5mm, it may be possible to treat you without surgery. Treatment with medication can increase the chances of a small stone passing out spontaneously and reduce the pain of renal colic. By drinking at least two litres of water and remaining active, you may be able to pass the stone through your body. You may need antibiotics if there is infection and medicine if you are in pain. However, if your stone is larger than 5mm, or if it has remained in place for more than a month, it is unlikely to pass without intervention. This is when a more advanced kidney stones treatment will be required.

Lithotripsy Kidney Stones Treatment

This is a widely used procedure for kidney stones treatment. You will be asked to lie down and given oral analgesia. A machine called a lithotripter sends shock waves through your back/flank to the kidney stone, breaking it up into small crystals which can be easily passed out of the body in urine. The procedure is guided by ultrasound or x-ray and lasts for 30 minutes. Lithotripsy is carried out as a day case procedure. A course of two to three lithotripsy treatments is usually required for a kidney stone.

Ureterorenoscopy Kidney Stones Treatment

Stone in the ureter

If you have a stone impacted in the ureter causing kidney obstruction and want to remove the stone and unblock the kidney quickly, ureteroscopy and laser disintegration of the obstructing stone are very effective as a kidney stones treatment. A very narrow telescope is passed up through your bladder and ureter to the location of the stone. A laser fibre is then passed through the telescope to touch the stone and disintegrate the stone into small fragments, which are then removed for stone type analysis.

Stone in the kidney

If your kidney stone is very hard and has not responded to lithotripsy or if your kidney stone is more than 1cm in diameter and sits in the lower part of the kidney where stone clearance is more difficult, a ureterorenoscopy may be advised for your kidney stones treatment. A narrow, flexible telescope is passed up through your bladder and ureter into the kidney to the location of the stone. A laser is attached to the telescope and beams from the laser are used to break up the stone. This is a specialist procedure, only offered in some centres including Harley Street Urology. The minimally invasive procedure is carried out under general anaesthetic and can be done as a day case or with an overnight stay.

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL)

If your stone is large or in a difficult to access location, it may be necessary to remove it by keyhole surgery. For this kind of kidney stones treatment, the surgeon makes a small 1 cm incision in the lower back and guided by a telescope, called a nephroscope, removes the stone or breaks it up. This procedure is carried out under general anaesthetic and the average inpatient stay is three days.

Removal of stent within two weeks

When a kidney is blocked by a stone, it is necessary to implant a stent (an internal small plastic drainage tube) to open up the space and allow fluid to flow freely again and unblock the kidney. The stent is only required for approximately two weeks in order to restore normal flow and allow any inflammation of the ureter to subside, and should be removed at this stage. If a stent is left in place for longer than this period, the patient is at risk of infection and discomfort. We provide our guarantee to our patients that stents will be removed promptly, as soon as they have fulfilled their function as part of your kidney stones treatment.

Prevention of kidney stones

We undertake metabolic investigations to assess why you developed kidney stones and help you to reduce the risk of them occurring again. This is important because half of all patients with a kidney stone have a recurring problem within five years. We want to reduce the likelihood of you requiring kidney stones treatment in the future.

Many people develop specific types of stones triggered by certain food groups. Full analysis of stone type is necessary in order to develop an effective prevention strategy. However, once properly identified, simple lifestyle and diet changes can substantially reduce the risk of further kidney stones treatment being required. We always aim to reduce risk through lifestyle and diet rather than long term medication.