Open Surgery for Kidney Stones
In open surgery to remove
kidney stones, the surgeon uses an incision in the
person's abdomen or side to reach the
kidney and remove the stones. He or she then puts a
small tube (catheter) near the kidney to drain urine until the kidney
heals.
What To Expect After Surgery
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You will be in the hospital for 6 to 9
days. You are usually able to resume your normal activities within 4 to 6
weeks.
Open surgery is rarely needed to
remove kidney stones. You may need it if:
- You have large stones caused by an infection
(staghorn calculi).
- You were born with an
abnormality in your
urinary system that affects urine flow in the kidneys,
ureters, or
bladder.
- Other treatment methods have
failed to remove or dissolve the stone.
Depending on the location of the
kidney stone, open surgery usually can completely remove the stone.
The risks of open surgery to remove a kidney
stone include:
- Severe
bleeding.
- Infection.
- Risks linked with
anesthesia.
- An increased risk of getting a hernia where the cut was made for surgery.
There also is the risk that the kidney may be severely
damaged by the open surgery and may have to be removed.
During recovery at home,
call your surgeon immediately if you have:
- Sudden
pain.
- Fever.
- Nausea or vomiting.
- Signs of
infection, such as swelling or redness around the incision.
The use of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL),
percutaneous nephrolithotripsy, and ureteroscopy to remove kidney stones has
nearly eliminated the need for open surgery to remove stones.
The
recovery time following open surgery is much longer than the recovery time for
the treatments listed above.
Complete the surgery information form (PDF)
(What is a PDF document?)
to help you prepare for this surgery.
|
By
| Healthwise Staff |
|
Primary Medical Reviewer
| Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine |
|
Specialist Medical Reviewer
| Tushar J. Vachharajani, MD, FASN, FACP - Nephrology |
|
Last Revised
| April 28, 2011 |
Last Revised:
April 28, 2011
