ESWL (Shock Wave Lithotripsy) Unit

What Is a Kidney Stone? Why Does It Form?

Kidney stone: hard, mineral-containing masses that form within the kidney passages.

The exact factors that cause these stones and the mechanism of their formation are not fully known; however, it is believed that they are caused by a family predisposition, congenital urinary tract anomalies, and certain systemic diseases (gout, cystinuria, etc.).

What Are the Symptoms of Kidney Stones?

Kidney stones, which are seen 2–3 times more frequently in men than in women, cause severe pain in the body and changes in the color of urine.

In particular, decreased water consumption causes an increase in kidney stone cases. ESWL, one of the most effective methods for getting rid of kidney stones, provides patients with an effective and comfortable treatment option through stone fragmentation.

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) means breaking stones with shock waves applied from outside the body. Its aim is to treat the patient without the need for a surgical intervention.

During the procedure, the stone is monitored online and its movements are kept under constant control. It is possible to break urinary system stones of varying hardness in our ESWL unit. Stone fragmentation turns the stones into sand, allowing the patient to pass the stone without being aware of it. Energy pulses emitted from an electromagnetic shock source are focused and reflected by a parabolic reflector, creating mini shock waves at a small point on the stone. These shocks break the stone into pieces. The patient passes the resulting sand and stone fragments through the urinary tract.

Drinking plenty of water is essential while the stones are being passed out of the body!

For the stones fragmented by ESWL to be passed out of the body, the patient should drink at least 2 liters of water per day and move around a lot. If, despite all of this, the stones cannot be passed, additional medication treatments may be used to support them in order to increase the speed and rate of passage. Additionally, pain relievers may be used for any pain that may occur while the stones are being passed in urine.

Areas Where ESWL Is Applied:

• Kidney Stones

• Ureteral Stones

• Bladder Stones

• Peyronie's Disease

Conditions in Which ESWL Should Be Applied:

• Stones in the kidney smaller than 2 cm

• Residual kidney stones after percutaneous or open surgery

• Stones in the upper end of the ureter

Generally, no pain or discomfort is felt during treatment. The patient does not need anesthesia. Sessions last approximately 30 minutes, and after the procedure the patient can return to normal life immediately.

Advantages of Our Stone Fragmentation Unit's Devices:

• Focal shifts are tracked instantly with the virtual stone monitoring system.

• Because the focus of the shock waves has a small diameter of about 3 mm, stones are broken into sand.

• Error-free focusing is provided with the "inline" focusing system.

• Since shock waves are generated electromagnetically, they are virtually noiseless.

• ECG-controlled stone fragmentation can be performed in patients with heart disease.

• The shock wave head's unlimited range of movement provides the patient with excellent comfort.

• The energy of the shock waves can be precisely adjusted over a wide range (1–90) according to need.

• Our unit can perform stone fragmentation under anesthesia for children, and all necessary equipment is available.

• Thanks to the wide diameter of the shock wave head, the shock waves that reach the patient are spread over a large area, so the patient feels minimal pain.

How Is the ESWL Stone Fragmentation Procedure Performed?

Stone fragmentation (lithotripsy) has been one of the methods used in the treatment of kidney stones for the last 20 years. In our unit, excluding the preparation before stone fragmentation, the procedure takes about half an hour.

A low dose of pain reliever may be given to ensure your comfort during stone fragmentation. In the first stage of stone fragmentation, your stone is visualized by fluoroscopy or ultrasonography and focusing is performed on the point where fragmentation will begin. After this step, ultrasound gel is applied to the area where the stone is located. To ensure that the effect of the sound waves is not reduced, no air is allowed between the stone fragmentation head and your body. Breaking of your stone begins with a slight "click" sound that you will hear. You will hear this sound continuously at short intervals and will feel a slight vibration in your body.

During the procedure, the focal point of your stone is frequently checked and the energy level is increased in a controlled manner so as not to cause discomfort. During stone fragmentation, the strength and amount of energy are adjusted according to your comfort, the type of stone, and its location.

The goal of stone fragmentation is to completely crush the stone. Only then can the fragments be passed in urine. However, some stones do not disintegrate immediately. These are also weakened and softened through stone fragmentation, and are expected to dissolve within a certain period of time. During this process, the patient needs to drink plenty of water to keep the kidneys working so that the stone can be easily passed from the body.