Kidney stones cause pain when they move inside the kidney or get stuck in the ureters. When a kidney stone gets lodged into the ureter, it can obstruct the flow of urine and cause inflammation of the kidney. When this occurs, you may experience the following symptoms:

• Sudden, serious pain
• Pain that spreads to the groin and lower abdominal region
• Fluctuating pain
• Pain when urinating
• Discoloured pink, brown or red urine
• Unpleasant-smelling, hazy urine
• Frequent urge to urinate
• High fever
• Nausea or vomiting

Large kidney stones are often very difficult to pass and may result in bleeding, damage to the kidneys and frequent urinary tract infections. Therefore, large kidney stones require surgical removal.

What to Expect with Ureteroscopy with Laser Lithotripsy

Ureteroscopy with laser lithotripsy is a less intrusive medical procedure to extract large kidney stones obstructing the ureter by using a slender, bendable scope (ureteroscope) to find the stones and then using a laser to break up the stones into much smaller fragments.

The ureteroscope is gently guided through the urethra, through the bladder, and into the ureter. This instrument has a camera and light attached so your doctor can view the stone in great detail. A laser fibre is carefully navigated through the scope to disintegrate the stone into much smaller pieces so they are easily removed. After the procedure, you may experience mild discomfort and blood in your urine, but this should improve within a few days. The dust pieces can pass out naturally through the urine or are instead collected.