Kidney stones can cause excruciating pain which can cause serious complications and often require surgery. Advancements in medicine and technology have led to advanced kidney stones surgeries that offer effective results, minimal pain, and faster recovery. Less invasive surgeries have paved the way for outpatient procedures that allow the patients to go home on the same day of the surgery.
In this blog, we will uncover the type of different kidney stone removal surgery. We shall also discuss kidney stone laser treatment cost, lithotripsy cost, and the cost of minimally invasive treatment. However, the cost mentioned here are only for reference purposes and may vary depending on several factors such as selection of hospital, use of stents, the expertise of the urologists, insurance coverage, etc.
Different Surgical Procedures for Kidney Stones :
- Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery (RIRS) – Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery is an advanced procedure to treat kidney stones that are sized between 8mm to 15mm. The anesthesia doctor will administer either spinal or general anesthesia based on the choice of the patient for painless treatment. In local anesthesia, the patient is sedated below the waist, whereas, in general anesthesia, the patient is asleep throughout the surgery. The urologist then uses a thin, flexible endoscope fitted with a tiny laser on the other end. The location of stones is determined by the Xrays and imaging tests and subsequently broken into smaller fragments with tiny lasers. The stone pieces are then expelled from the body through urine.
- Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) – ESWL or extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy is a non-invasive procedure where the doctor uses external shock waves to break the kidney stone into smaller pieces. The patient is kept in a tub which is filled with water which acts as a medium between the machine and the body. The patient is also given spinal anesthesia to reduce the pain when the stones are expelled from the body. Lithotripsy procedure may require multiple sittings to break the stones completely.
- Ureteroscopic Lithotripsy (URSL) – Ureteroscopic lithotripsy is similar to RIRS in which the surgeon also uses a thin ureteroscope that is attached to the camera and laser on the other end. URSL is also an effective surgical option for moderately sized kidney stones. A ureteroscopic camera allows the surgeon to view inside the patient’s body to locate and break the stones. The surgeon may use forceps to remove the stone in their intact form or break them into smaller fragments. The urologists may insert ureteral stents to ease the movement of stones pieces as they are flushed out of the body via urine. The patient is administered with local or general anesthesia for a painless procedure.
- Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy/Nephrolithotripsy (PCNL) – PCNL is a minimally invasive procedure that deals with large kidney stones of size greater than 14mm. PCNL is also referred to as tunnel surgery due to the nature of tiny incisions. The urologist makes tiny incisions near the flank area while the patient is under general anesthesia. The surgeon then uses a nephroscope to locate and break the stones into smaller pieces. If the stone is removed in its intact state, it is called nephrolithotomy, and if the stone is broken into smaller fragments, it is termed as nephrolithotripsy.
Cost Comparison of Different Kidney Stone Removal Surgeries :
Type of surgery | Size of stone | Type of Anesthesia | Duration of surgery (approx.) | Cost of surgery (approx.) |
| URSL | 5mm to 8mm (approx) | Spinal or General | 45 minutes | Rs. 40,000 – Rs. 65,000 |
| ESWL | 5mm to 7mm (approx) | Spinal | 45 minutes | Rs. 40,000 – Rs. 50,000 |
| RIRS | 6mm to 14mm (approx) | Spinal or General | 1 hour | Rs. 95,000 – Rs. 1,05,000 |
| PCNL | Greater than 14mm | General | 1 hour to 1.5 hours | Rs. 65,000 – Rs. 75,000 |
