Shock Wave Lithotripsy (Kidney Stone Treatment)

Shock Wave Lithotripsy (Kidney Stone Treatment)

The crusher unit, located in the second basement of the hospital, is equipped with a Swiss-made Modilith crusher, which is unique in terms of accuracy, impact and pain when working with patients of different weights.

The crushing unit is active in the morning and afternoon shifts and receives more than 30 patients daily. The Crushing Unit (ESWL) cooperates with all legal insurances in the country.

Extracorporeal lithotripsy

Nearly 90% of people experience pain caused by stones and pebbles in the kidneys and urinary system during their lifetime. In 85% of cases, these stones and pebbles are removed with outpatient treatment and even without treatment and the problem is solved. But in 15% of cases, the stones are large and will need treatment. In previous years, kidney stones were treated only with surgery, which was a major, costly, and risky procedure, but its complications threatened the patient for years. At present, in the treatment of large stones, the open surgical method is not used, and the internal and external limb crushing method is used, which is very cheap, low-risk and outpatient. Fortunately, Behbood Hospital is equipped with both types of treatment for these patients with the most advanced devices. The extracorporeal lithotripsy of Behbood Hospital is one of the most advanced devices in the northwest of the country, made by Mark Storrs, made in Switzerland. More than 3,000 people are treated with this system annually. In the extracorporeal lithotripsy (ESWL) method, electromagnetic waves are used to break up kidney stones. After using this treatment method, a person can excrete the crushed pieces of stone through the urinary system.

Kidney stones form in one or both kidneys. If there is an imbalance in the amount of salts and minerals in the urine, a person can develop kidney stones.

These stones are often so small that they are acidic and alkaline (pH) and are excreted spontaneously in the urine without being damaged. However, if they are unable to get out, your doctor may recommend a crusher inside or outside the body.

There are two types of crushing:

1- Intracranial lithotripsy that is used for bladder, ureter and kidney stones, and in this case, after anesthetizing the patient, a device is inserted through the urethra into the bladder or ureter or through the skin and from the side into the kidney. It is sent and broken by direct sight by a crusher of various types.

2- In extracorporeal lithotripsy, the patient does not need anesthesia and the crushing probe does not have direct contact with the stone and crushes the stone remotely through electromagnetic waves.

Crushing is done in two parts. Inside the ureter and inside the kidney. In the ureteral tube, stone is broken when the passage of urine through the ureteral tube is blocked. In medical terms, this symptom is called renal dehydration or (hydronephrosis). For stones that cause pain inside the kidneys, bleeding and getting kidney stones and dehydration, as well as kidney infections, stone crushing should be used.

Behboud hospital crushing:

Behbood Hospital’s crushing department has been operating since early 2007 and so far thousands of patients with kidney and ureteral stones and in need of immediate surgery have been treated in this center. In this center, stone crushing for children and infants is also done with light anesthesia. The crushing systems of this hospital have been improved many times since its launch and have been equipped with the latest models.

Behbood Hospital crushing machine is one of the best types in the world. This unit is equipped with ultrasound and fluoroscopy devices and is able to break most of the urinary tract stones that is performed on an outpatient basis and does not require hospitalization and general anesthesia. This method is cheaper, easier, less complication and better than surgery.

Behbood Hospital crushing has two advantages compared to other crushers:

1- Its pain is much less than similar types.
2- In addition to crushing kidney stones, they are able to break stones inside the ureter and other crushers do not have this advantage.
Of course, the hardness of the stones is different. If the crusher is too hard, it will not be able to break it (2 to 3% of the stones have these characteristics). The hardness of the stone can only be detected by CT scan.

Preparation before crushing

Tests for urinary tract infections and coagulation disorders should be performed before lithotripsy.

Normal complications of crushing

Bleeding after crushing (bleeding of urine) is one of the predictable complications after it is done, which usually resolves within a few days after crushing and has no serious complication in general, especially if done by a skilled and experienced doctor.

Method of preventing urinary stone recurrence:

Usually, the onset of stone formation in the kidneys is due to low fluid intake or excessive sweating and oversaturation of the urine compared to the salts in the urine, such as oxalate and urine, etc. After the formation of the primary nucleus of the stone, it is not necessary for the stone to become supersaturated with respect to certain salts, but the crystals of salts in the urine are absorbed by the primary nucleus of the stone and the stone becomes larger and may become symptomatic. The following methods are effective to prevent the formation of primary stones or to prevent the recurrence of stones, regardless of the type of stone:

1- Limit salt intake in the diet
2- Consume a lot of fluids that prevent the urine from being oversaturated with the salts in the urine. The habit of consuming a lot of fluids, which should preferably be light water or tea. It is effective for the health of the urinary system, especially the prevention of stone formation in all conditions and ages. Therefore, it is always recommended to consume light water and tea. Especially: at night during sleep, hot season, during physical activity and excessive sweating.
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