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What are urinary stones?
Urinary stones (urolithiasis) are crystals that form inside the kidney, ureter, and bladder when the urine is supersaturated with salts and minerals. Vietnam is a tropical country, so urolithiasis is a very common disease.
Consequences of urinary stones
- Urinary tract infection can be life-threatening
- Blockage of the urinary flow from the kidney may cause irreversible renal damage
- A small kidney stone can move and cause intense pain, known as renal colic.
Symptoms of urinary stones
Common symptoms of urinary stones include:
- Mild or severe back pain, usually on one side
- Blood in the urine
- Repeated urinary tract infection.
Treatments for urinary stones
There are several minimally-invasive treatments for urinary stones including: extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL), retrograde ureteroscopic laser lithotripsy, and percutaneous nephrolithotripsy.
ESWL is a non-invasive, simple treatment that uses sound waves to break a stone into small pieces so that they can travel easily through the urinary tract and be passed from the body. Patients could be discharged immediately after lithotripsy.
Advantages of FVH’s ESWL machine
FVH is using the Modulith ESWL machine manufactured by SLK Storz Medical AG, one of the world leaders in lithotripsy machines. This state-of-the-art lithotripsy equipment has some benefits:
- Increasing effectiveness by combining three localisation methods: X-ray, ultrasound, and 3D computerised localisations.
- Ensuring a painless and anaesthesia-free treatment to patient to be able to go home within one hour after treatment .
* At FV Hospital, to ensure patient safety as requested by international standards, all surgical consumables are single-used only
For more detailed information about kidney stone lithotripsy, please contact FVH’s Urology Department by calling (028) 54 11 33 33, Ext. 1032
