Lithotripsy

Lithotripsy is a noninvasive (the skin is not pierced) procedure used to treat kidney stones that are too large to pass through the urinary tract. Lithotripsy treats kidney stones by sending focused ultrasonic energy or shock waves directly to the stone first located with fluoroscopy (a type of X-ray “movie”) or ultrasound (high frequency sound waves). The shock waves break a large stone into smaller stones that will pass through the urinary system. Lithotripsy allows persons with certain types of stones in the urinary system to avoid an invasive surgical procedure for stone removal. There are two types of shock wave technology. The original lithotripsy machines sent the shock waves through water in a tub in which the person being treated was placed. More recently, machines have been developed that send shock waves through padded cushions on a table, so the procedure does not involve immersing a person in water.

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