If you are currently suffering from rather painful and stubborn kidney stones that are either too big to pass through naturally or just being a pain and refusing to move, then kidney stone and lithotripsy is just one of the things that you should be searching for on the internet right now.

This type of treatment is the most common one to be used in the case of kidney stones that will not pass on their own accord and knowing everything that you need to know about them before hand is the perfect way to make sure that you are prepared for such an occurrence.

More commonly called ESWL or Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy is when shock waves are administered to move the pesky stones. More frequently used with stones that are too large to pass through the body spontaneously, they work in such a way that the stones are broken down into smaller and more manageable chunks which then prove to be easier to pass in the urine stream.

With regards to kidney stone and lithotripsy as one form of treatment, there are a few things that you may be asking if you are facing such a medical procedure and hopefully, the following points will be helpful to you:

1. Generally, ESWL is carried out as an outpatient procedure. This means that you will not normally be required to stay in hospital overnight unless complications have arisen. This is because the recovery time is known to be relatively short and normal activities can normally be resumed after just a couple of days rest and recuperation.

2. There may be a need for scans or X-Rays prior to the kidney stone and lithotripsy treatment and this is to make sure that the exact location of the stone is known and also how big it is. Anesthesia is normally needed for the procedure itself and this helps to minimize any pain or discomfort while still managing to effectively destroy the stone as such.

3. There can occasionally be complications with kidney stone and lithotripsy treatments and although these are normally rare, they can mean the need for you to have a short spell in the hospital. Blood in the urine is one of the most common negative side effects of this treatment and this can carry on for a few days. The back and also the abdomen can also have slight bruising from the shock waves themselves.

Blood clotting medications are normally advised against before this procedure takes place and these include aspirin. Occasionally shattering f the stone can occur and these can cause some urinary tract infections as they have the ability to blockages and sometimes one lot of treatment is not enough to completely break down the stone and multiple procedures may need to be carried out.

4. The shock waves themselves are used because they pass through the skin and other soft tissue of the body and only hit the stones which are harder. The waves will break down the stone into smaller pieces which then prove easier to pass through naturally and although there can occasionally be side effects that are considered to be negative, it is a very effective treatment for kidney stones. All in all, kidney stone and lithotripsy could be the information you should be looking at right now.

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