Ureteroscopy (URS)

Your doctor may recommend URS surgery if you have a large stone in your kidney or ureter. The surgery typically takes 30 minutes to two hours and can be done as an outpatient procedure. You should be able to resume normal activities in two to three days.

After you are under anesthesia, your doctor inserts a telescope-like instrument, called a ureteroscope, through the opening of your urinary tract and into the bladder, which means there are no surgical cuts or incisions made. Your doctor uses the scope to examine your urinary tract – including your kidneys, ureters and bladder – then locates the kidney stone and breaks it apart using laser energy or removes the stone with a basket-like device. To help control swelling and allow the kidney to drain urine, your doctor may insert a small plastic tube, called a ureteral stent, in your urinary tract at the end of the procedure. The stent will be removed at a follow-up appointment.

This is the endoscopic treatment of ureter stones using a mini-scope. Under general anaesthesia and fluoroscopic xray guidance, a rigid or flexible ureteroscope is passed up the ureter via the urethra.

The stone is broken into smaller pieces with the Holmium laser. These tiny stone pieces will pass out on their own. A wire basket can also be used to trap the stone or extract the broken pieces. This surgery takes 30 mins on average and can be done as a day case under general anaesthesia.