Open surgery for kidney stones
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Surgery Overview
In open surgery to remove kidney stones, the surgeon uses an incision in the person's abdomen or side to reach the kidney and remove the stones. He or she then puts a small tube (catheter) near the kidney to drain urine until the kidney heals.
What To Expect After Surgery
You will be in the hospital for 6 to 9 days. You are usually able to resume your normal activities within 4 to 6 weeks.
Why It Is Done
Open surgery is rarely needed to remove kidney stones. You may need it if:
- You have large stones caused by an infection (staghorn calculi).
- You were born with an abnormality in your urinary system
that affects urine flow in the kidneys, ureters, or bladder. - Other treatment methods have failed to remove or dissolve the stone.
How Well It Works
Depending on the location of the kidney stone, open surgery usually can completely remove the stone.
Risks
The risks of open surgery to remove a kidney stone include:
- Severe bleeding.
- Infection.
- Risks associated with anesthesia.
There also is the risk that the kidney may be severely damaged by the open surgery and may have to be removed.
What To Think About
During recovery at home, call your surgeon immediately if you have:
- Sudden pain.
- Fever.
- Nausea or vomiting.
- Signs of infection, such as swelling or redness around the incision.
The use of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), percutaneous nephrolithotripsy, and ureteroscopy to remove kidney stones has nearly eliminated the need for open surgery to remove stones.
The recovery time following open surgery is much longer than the recovery time for the treatments listed above.
Complete the surgery information form (PDF) (What is a PDF document?) to help you prepare for this surgery.
Credits
| Author | Monica Rhodes |
| Editor | Kathleen M. Ariss, MS |
| Associate Editor | Pat Truman |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Philip Belitsky, MD, FRCSC - Urology |
| Last Updated | May 30, 2007 |
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| Last updated: | May 30, 2007 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Monica Rhodes |
| Reviewed By: | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine, Philip Belitsky, MD, FRCSC - Urology |
| Editors: | Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman |
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