KIDNEY DISEASE & KIDNEY STONE SERVICES

Kidney stones are extraordinarily painful. At UC Irvine Medical Center, our urologists are using minimally invasive and noninvasive techniques—many of which they developed—to make kidney stone removal less painful, with far less need for surgery.

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Pioneering Surgeries

In fact, physicians at the Center for Urological Care helped pioneer the practice of removing kidney and ureter stones through a single small incision.  This was made possible through the use of flexible viewing tubes called endoscopes, which can be combined with lasers, ultrasonic probes and surgical instruments to remove stones.

Additionally, the center’s urologists worked on the development of tools to access stones through the bladder, allowing smaller stones to be removed without any incisions at all.  These advances mean less pain and shorter recovery times for patients.

Surgeons at the Center for Urological Care helped develop the technique of percutaneous stone removal, in which kidney stones are taken out by needle puncture rather than open surgery.  They were also among the first to use minimally invasive laparoscopic techniques to treat simple kidney cysts and adult polycystic kidney disease. After this treatment, more than 80 percent of patients experience relief from chronic kidney pain.

Medical Services

• Percutaneous kidney stone surgery
• Endoscopic and laparoscopic treatment of ureteral and ureteropelvic junction obstruction
• Laparoscopic removal of nonfunctioning kidneys
• Laparoscopic surgery for kidney cysts
• Ureteroscopy for kidney stones and obstruction
• Laser lithotripsy for kidney stones
• Extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy for kidney stones