Our Health Library information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Please be advised that this information is made available to assist our patients to learn more about their health. Our providers may not see and/or treat all topics found herein. You may want to have a say in this decision, or you may simply want to follow your doctor's recommendation. Either way, this information will help you understand what your choices are so that you can talk to your doctor about them. Get the Compare Your Your Quiz Your Summary Kidney stones are pieces of minerals that form in the kidneys. They form when the normal balance of water, salts, minerals, and other substances found in your urine changes. The type of kidney stones you get depends on how this balance changes. Most kidney stones are calcium-type—they form when the calcium levels in your urine change. Kidney stones may stay in the kidney or travel out of the body through the urinary tract. When moving through the urinary tract, a stone may cause great pain and other symptoms. Kidney stones can cause long-term damage to the urinary tract if they keep growing or if they block the flow of urine from the kidneys. Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy uses shock waves to break the kidney stone into small pieces that can pass from the body more easily than one large stone. Stone fragments usually pass within a few weeks. Depending on the size of the stone, you may need only one treatment. The larger the stone, the more likely it is that you will need more than one treatment. Lithotripsy is only one method used to break up kidney stones. But it is the most commonly used method, because it does not require surgery. Risks of lithotripsy include: Unless the kidney stone is blocking urine flow or you have a urinary tract infection, the risks of not using lithotripsy or another method to break up the stone are small. But you may have pain longer. Your doctor may recommend this procedure if: Compare What is usually involved? What are the benefits? What are the risks and side effects? These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers. They may be helpful as you make important health decisions. I have had a kidney stone before. I remember the pain, and the medicine did not help me all that much. When I started to pass another stone, I knew right away that I wanted to try breaking up the stone. Hopefully the stone will pass more easily and cause less pain. Roy, age 32 I have several friends who have had kidney stones. They told me how much it hurt. Now that I am passing a stone, I know what they mean. My doctor gave me a strong pain medicine, and we talked about having the stone broken up to make it pass easier. But I prefer to avoid any medical procedures if I can. My doctor says it should only take a few days to pass the stone, and as long as the pain medicine works, I'll get through it okay. José, age 38 I went to the doctor because of the pain in my side. She did some tests and told me I have a kidney stone. She said it is pretty large, but it should pass on its own. But she also said that because of its size, it might take awhile to pass and the pain could be pretty intense. We decided to break up the stone using ESWL to try to reduce the time it takes to pass and the pain involved. Marge, age 50 The doctor told me my pain is being caused by a kidney stone that I'm passing. He gave me some strong pain medicine and said I could have the stone broken up, which might make it pass more easily. He also told me the stone is pretty small and should pass soon. I'm going to try the pain medicine and make sure I drink enough water for now. If the pain gets to be too bad, I can change my mind and have the stone broken up. Rita, age 28 Your personal feelings are just as important as the medical facts. Think about what matters most to you in this decision, and show how you feel about the following statements. Reasons to have lithotripsy for kidney stones Reasons to wait for the stone to pass on its own I want to increase the chance of my stone passing sooner. I'm not concerned with how soon my stone passes. I'm worried about the pain from passing a kidney stone. I can use medicine to control the pain. I'm not bothered by having a medical procedure. I don't want to have a medical procedure. I know that the procedure has risks, but I'm not concerned about them. I am concerned about the risks of the procedure. My other important reasons: My other important reasons: Now that you've thought about the facts and your feelings, you may have a general idea of where you stand on this decision. Show which way you are leaning right now. Having lithotripsy Waiting for the stone to pass on its own Check the facts Decide what's next Certainty 1. How sure do you feel right now about your decision? Here's a record of your answers. You can use it to talk with your doctor or loved ones about your decision. Kidney stones are pieces of minerals that form in the kidneys. They form when the normal balance of water, salts, minerals, and other substances found in your urine changes. The type of kidney stones you get depends on how this balance changes. Most kidney stones are calcium-type—they form when the calcium levels in your urine change. Kidney stones may stay in the kidney or travel out of the body through the urinary tract. When moving through the urinary tract, a stone may cause great pain and other symptoms. Kidney stones can cause long-term damage to the urinary tract if they keep growing or if they block the flow of urine from the kidneys. Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy uses shock waves to break the kidney stone into small pieces that can pass from the body more easily than one large stone. Stone fragments usually pass within a few weeks. Depending on the size of the stone, you may need only one treatment. The larger the stone, the more likely it is that you will need more than one treatment. Lithotripsy is only one method used to break up kidney stones. But it is the most commonly used method, because it does not require surgery. Risks of lithotripsy include: Unless the kidney stone is blocking urine flow or you have a urinary tract infection, the risks of not using lithotripsy or another method to break up the stone are small. But you may have pain longer. Your doctor may recommend this procedure if: These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers. They may be helpful as you make important health decisions. "I have had a kidney stone before. I remember the pain, and the medicine did not help me all that much. When I started to pass another stone, I knew right away that I wanted to try breaking up the stone. Hopefully the stone will pass more easily and cause less pain." — Roy, age 32 "I have several friends who have had kidney stones. They told me how much it hurt. Now that I am passing a stone, I know what they mean. My doctor gave me a strong pain medicine, and we talked about having the stone broken up to make it pass easier. But I prefer to avoid any medical procedures if I can. My doctor says it should only take a few days to pass the stone, and as long as the pain medicine works, I'll get through it okay." — José, age 38 "I went to the doctor because of the pain in my side. She did some tests and told me I have a kidney stone. She said it is pretty large, but it should pass on its own. But she also said that because of its size, it might take awhile to pass and the pain could be pretty intense. We decided to break up the stone using ESWL to try to reduce the time it takes to pass and the pain involved." — Marge, age 50 "The doctor told me my pain is being caused by a kidney stone that I'm passing. He gave me some strong pain medicine and said I could have the stone broken up, which might make it pass more easily. He also told me the stone is pretty small and should pass soon. I'm going to try the pain medicine and make sure I drink enough water for now. If the pain gets to be too bad, I can change my mind and have the stone broken up." — Rita, age 28 Your personal feelings are just as important as the medical facts. Think about what matters most to you in this decision, and show how you feel about the following statements. Reasons to have lithotripsy for kidney stones Reasons to wait for the stone to pass on its own I want to increase the chance of my stone passing sooner. I'm not concerned with how soon my stone passes. I'm worried about the pain from passing a kidney stone. I can use medicine to control the pain. I'm not bothered by having a medical procedure. I don't want to have a medical procedure. I know that the procedure has risks, but I'm not concerned about them. I am concerned about the risks of the procedure. My other important reasons: My other important reasons: Now that you've thought about the facts and your feelings, you may have a general idea of where you stand on this decision. Show which way you are leaning right now. Having lithotripsy Waiting for the stone to pass on its own 1.
Will most small stones pass on their own? 2.
Is lithotripsy is a good choice for everyone? 3.
Are you likely to have less pain when the stone passes if you have lithotripsy? 1.
Do you understand the options available to you? 2.
Are you clear about which benefits and side effects matter most to you? 3.
Do you have enough support and advice from others to make a choice? 1.
How sure do you feel right now about your decision? 2.
Check what you need to do before you make this decision. Current as of: November 15, 2023 Author: Healthwise Staff Clinical Review BoardKidney Stones: Should I Have Lithotripsy to Break Up the Stone?
Kidney Stones: Should I Have Lithotripsy to Break Up the Stone?
1
Facts2
Options3
Feelings4
Decision5
Yourself6
Get the facts
Your options
Key points to remember
What are kidney stones?
What is lithotripsy?
What are the risks of lithotripsy?
What are the risks of not using lithotripsy to treat kidney stones?
Why might your doctor recommend lithotripsy?
Compare your options
Personal stories about treating kidney stones with extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL)
What matters most to you?
Where are you leaning now?
What else do you need to make your decision?
Your Summary
Your decision
Next steps
Which way you're leaning
How sure you are
Your comments
Your knowledge of the facts
Key concepts that you understood
Key concepts that may need review
Getting ready to act
Patient choices
Credits
Author Healthwise Staff Clinical Review Board Clinical Review Board
All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.Kidney Stones: Should I Have Lithotripsy to Break Up the Stone?
1. Get the Facts
Your options
Key points to remember
What are kidney stones?
What is lithotripsy?
What are the risks of lithotripsy?
What are the risks of not using lithotripsy to treat kidney stones?
Why might your doctor recommend lithotripsy?
2. Compare your options
Have lithotripsy Don't have lithotripsy What is usually involved? What are the benefits? What are the risks and side effects? Personal stories
Personal stories about treating kidney stones with extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL)
3. What matters most to you?
4. Where are you leaning now?
5. What else do you need to make your decision?
Check the facts
Decide what's next
Certainty
By Healthwise Staff Clinical Review Board Clinical Review Board
All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.
Note: The "printer friendly" document will not contain all the information available in the online document some Information (e.g. cross-references to other topics, definitions or medical illustrations) is only available in the online version.
All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.
FAQs
Have lithotripsy Have lithotripsy
Don't have lithotripsy Don't have lithotripsy
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You may want to have a say in this decision, or you may simply want to follow your doctor's recommendation. Either way, this information will help you understand what your choices are so that you can talk to your doctor about them.
Here's a record of your answers. You can use it to talk with your doctor or loved ones about your decision.
FAQs
More important
Equally important
More important
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That's right. The smaller a stone is, the more likely it is to pass on its own.
Yes, that's right. You will probably not have lithotripsy if you are pregnant or have a bleeding disorder, kidney infection, urinary tract infection, kidney cancer, or some other kidney problems.
Yes, that's right. You'll likely have less pain, because lithotripsy uses shock waves to break the kidney stone into small pieces that can pass from the body more easily than one large stone.
Not sure at all
Somewhat sure
Very sure
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