Shock wave Lithotripsy
is probably the most common treatment meant for kidney stones. The waves (Shock
waves) are targeted at a kidney stone from outside the body causing the stone
to fragment. Due to this, these stones are broken into tiny fragments. This, at
times, is also called Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL).
As to what each of
these words means:
- Extracorporeal:
Something from outside of the body
- Shock Waves:
Pressure waves
- Lithotripsy:
Stones getting crushed
How this procedure is conducted?
You are made to wear a
medical gown and lie on an exam table on top of a soft, water filled cushion.
Post this you will be given a mild sedative or a pain medicine before the
entire procedure starts. This will also be accompanied by you being given
antibiotics before the entire procedure begins so as to prevent infection.
High energy shock
waves, also called sound waves, will pass through your body until they have
converted the kidney stones into a lot of small particles. This is when you
might begin to feel a tapping sensation
The entire procedure
takes about 45 minutes up to one hour.
A tube might be placed
on your back and into your kidney. This will go on to drain all of the urine
from your kidney until all of the small fragments of the stone pass out of your
body. The tube can be put in place before or after your treatment.
In recent times,
Lithotripsy Treatment in Delhi has made massive strides and the procedure is
now much cheaper, and also efficient.
The check ultrasound or
sometimes xray will guarantee at the end of the procedure whether or not the
entire stone has been cleared from your body.
There are, in totality,
three types of Lithotripsy procedures
- Ultrasonic: In this procedure a probe breaks up a stone into a lot of other
smaller pieces
- Extracorporeal Shock Wave: Stone is focused on C arm Imaging equipment and
High-Frequency sound waves and then proceeds to break up the stone into smaller
fragments. ESWL in Delhi has also made massive strides.
Advantages and disadvantages of this treatment
The
main advatange of this treatment is being treated for kidney stones without
having to undergone a surgery. As a result of this, various operation cost,
recovery time, complications are eliminated. However, all types of kidney
stones cannot be treated this way. Moreover, they are chances of small stones
fragements being left in the body which can cause further implications.