The Carolina Stone Center is dedicated to the non-surgical removal of kidney stones using a technique known as lithotripsy. Located at Palmetto Health Baptist in Columbia, SC, Carolina Stone Center is available to urologists and their patients from South Carolina and our neighboring states.
We've posted below some of the more frequently asked questions about this treatment as well as links to several outside Web sites which offer more information on kidney stones and lithotripsy.
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WHAT IS EXTRACORPOREAL SHOCK WAVE LITHOTRIPSY?
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Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is a revolutionary development in the treatment of kidney stones. ESWL literally means "shattering stones with shock waves generated outside the body." Instead of major surgery, patients with kidney stones can be treated with a machine called a lithotripter. Kidney stones are bombarded with shock waves until they break into small pieces and pass out of the body in the urine.
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HOW DOES ESWL WORK?
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 Patients being treated with the lithotripter are administered anesthesia before being positioned in a hydraulic-powered gantry, and then partially immersed in a large tub of warm water. The physician utilizes a computerized X-ray system to pinpoint the exact location of the kidney stone. The physician moves the gantry until the stone is in the correct position for treatment. An electrode at the base of the tub creates shock waves that fragment the stone into small particles.
Treatment takes about one to one-and-one-half hours. Many patients go home the same day of the ESWL treatment, but it is not unusual for a patient to require an overnight stay in the hospital. Most patients can expect to be back to full activity within a week. ESWL costs are covered by most medical insurance carriers.
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WHO ARE CANDIDATES FOR TREATMENT WITH THE LITHOTRIPTER?
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Most patients who have stones in the kidney and ureter are lithotripsy candidates. A potential patient's urologist can determine his or her candidacy for treatment.
Children and some adults of unusual size may not be candidates for lithotripsy. Other contraindications to treatment with ESWL might include a kidney with little or no function, an uncontrolled urinary tract infection or a life-threatening cardiac condition. Approximately 85 percent of all kidney stone patients, however, can be successfully treated with lithotripsy.
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HOW DO I ARRANGE FOR ESWL TREATMENT?
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After your physician has determined that ESWL treatment is appropriate for your condition, a call to Carolina Stone Center is all that is necessary. We will arrange referral to an urologist who practices ESWL at Palmetto Health Baptist Columbia.
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HOW WILL I FEEL AFTER LITHOTRIPSY?
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In many cases, lithotripsy patients have little pain after the procedure. Most of the side effects involved with conventional surgery are avoided. Some patients may experience pain as fragments of the stone pass out of the body through the urine. A period of up to three months is required to achieve total stone passage in some cases; patients may notice some blood in the urine during this time. Physicians and patients agree, however, that ESWL is a far less painful treatment for kidney stones than traditional surgery.
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DO LITHOTRIPSY PATIENTS EVER HAVE COMPLICATIONS?
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Very few complications from the lithotripsy procedure have been reported to date. Lithotripsy patients are usually up and walking comfortably the next day. Some patients require pain medications for a day or two while the stone fragments pass. In some instances, a patient may experience difficulty passing the small pieces of kidney stone. If this occurs, it may become necessary to undergo urologic manipulation of stone fragments. Occasionally additional ESWL treatments are necessary if the stone is very large or if multiple stones are present. Rarely, open surgery will be necessary if lithotripsy fails.
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Additional Information
For additional information on lithotripsy, please call us at (803) 296-5217. If you are calling from out of town, our Toll-Free numbers are 800 323-3189 (for callers in SC) and 800 982-9290 for out-of-state callers.
The U.S. National Institutes of Health has published several articles on the Web concerning kidney stones which may be of interest to you. You can find these articles and more by clicking the links below.
