Now, incision-free kidney stone removal

CHENNAI: A new incision-free procedure to remove kidney stones has been introduced in RG Stone Urology and Laparoscopy Hospital. Briefing about the system, senior consultant urologist of the hospital Dr M Jeevagan told reporters here on Thursday: “Retrograde Intra Renal Surgery (RIRS), the latest minimally invasive procedure for treating stone disease, is capable of reaching those inaccessible parts of the kidney where the previous techniques could not reach.”“RIRS, also known as Flexible URS, is the latest procedure to treat stones in any part of the kidney and urinary tract without making any incision,” he said.Under the procedure, an endoscope would be introduced through the normal urinary opening into the bladder and then through the ureter into the kidney where the stone is located.The endoscope can visualise the stones, which are then fragmented into sand-like particles using a laser and can later be flushed out. “Flexible URS is emerging as a first-line procedure for increasingly challenging stone cases,” Jeevagan said.With this procedure, the clearance rates have increased with minimal complications. The patient can be discharged within 24 hours of the surgery, he added.