How long does it take to recover from lithotripsy? The procedure, side effects
Lithotripsy is a medical treatment process generally used to treat kidney stones. Stones in the kidney can be formed as a result of the solidification or crystallization of the minerals and substances present in the urine. It can damage the entire kidney if left untreated. Bleeding along with infection in the urinary tract can be experienced by the victims. In this article, the procedure and side effects of Lithotripsy will be discussed.
Procedure of Lithotripsy
In the process of Lithotripsy, sound waves are used to break the large stones in the kidney into small particles so that it can be passed through the urinary tract with urine. There are various forms associated with the process. Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) is one of the most recognized forms of lithotripsy. The word “extracorporeal” stands for “outside the body”. It means that the shock waves source is placed outside the body. The machine which produces the shock waves is called Lithotripter. The waves are allowed to travel into the victim’s body and break the stones into pieces.
The ESWL process of Lithotripsy was introduced first in the early 1980s. Since then it becomes the substitute for the surgery. Being a noninvasive process, ESWL does not need any kind of surgery. Thus, it reduces the risk of surgery.
It can take almost an hour to complete the procedure. The victims are treated with anaesthesia so that they become unable to feel any kind of pain during the process. After the process, the small stone particles are removed from the body through urination.
Risks or Side Effects
Lithotripsy is one of the safest ways to remove kidney stones from the body. But, there are some abnormal cases which can be found in the procedure. They are mentioned below:
- Bleeding around the kidney which can cause to have a blood transfusion.
- Kidney infection can be observed in several cases.
- In severe cases, the small stone particles result in blockage in the urinary tract and hamper the urine flow.
- Some stone particles may be left in the body which can be removed after some consecutive treatment process.
- Some victims find problems with the function of the kidney after having Lithotripsy.
Before and After the Procedure
Some steps which must be followed before the procedure as mentioned below:
- The doctor must be aware of the physical condition of the patient such as pregnancy, uses of other supplements or drugs etc.
- The drugs or medicines must be taken as per the advice of the doctor.
- The patient must take food several hours before the process.
Later, the patient is shifted to the recovery room. The time for the recovery system varies from one patient to another. On average, it can be seen that after taking rest for approximately 2 hours, most of the patients can go home on the same day on which they have undergone lithotripsy.
Lithotripsy is recommended by the best urologists in Chennai to treat kidney stones or stones in any other part like liver or gallbladder. The recovery time associated with it is almost two to three hours in most of the cases.
Fortis Malar Hospitals Chennai
Address: №52, 1st Main Rd, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600020
Phone: 099625 99933
