Urinary Stone Removal With The Holmium/Nd:YAG Laser

What Are Kidney Stones?
Kidney stones are one of the most common disorders of the urinary tract. Overall, 2-3% of the population will have a kidney stone at some time in their lives. For unknown reasons, the incidence of kidney stones has been increasing over the past 20 years. Men are twice more likely to develop kidney stones as compared to women. Rarely, kidney stones may occur even in children.

Our two kidneys, located deep behind the abdomen towards the middle back, play a major role in maintaining proper water and salt balance in the body. They manufacture urine by filtering waste products, water and salts out of the blood plasma that enters them during circulation. Urine's primary components are urea, creatinine and acids. Crystals that form in urine and build up on the inner surfaces of the kidneys can form stones in the kidney, the ureter, or the bladder.

Types of Kidney Stones
Kidney stones may contain various combinations of minerals and other chemicals, some of which are derived from a person's diet. The most common (70-80%) are calcium stones, usually combined with oxalate. About 10% are made up of uric acid, while 9-17% of stones are struvite (mixed) stones. A small percentage (about 1%) of stones are made from cystine.

What Causes Kidney Stones?
Two factors play a role in the formation of all stones: increased concentration of crystal-forming matter in urine, and physical and chemical changes that cause these substances to precipitate and form stones. These factors are, in turn, caused or affected by genetic susceptibility, diet, drugs, metabolic disorders or other medical conditions. Struvite stones are almost always associated with certain urinary tract infections.

How Serious Are Kidney Stones?
Between 70-90% of crystals remain tiny enough so that they can travel through the urinary tract and pass out of the body in the urine without being noticed. When they cause symptoms, however, kidney stones have been described as one of the most painful disorders to afflict humans. Larger stones may cause obstruction of the urinary tract which, if persistent, predisposes to infection, impairment of kidney function, and complications such as hypertension, etc.

Laser Lithotripsy
Laser lithotripsy involves treating all types of urinary stones using small, minimally invasive telescopes, called endoscopes. These allow state-of-the-art, high energy lasers to fragment any type of urinary stone. Al Zahra Hospital's Holmium/Nd:YAG dual-wavelength laser is the latest available means of treating stone disease. Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, it has distinct advantages over other forms of treatment.

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