Kidney Stone Removal Procedures and Emerging Therapies

Kidney stones are a prevalent condition, affecting nearly 10% of the US population over the course of a lifetime. Although most stones can be managed with observation and pass spontaneously, 10–20% of stone events require surgical intervention. The modern urologist has a variety of techniques available to treat stones that are causing intractable pain, infection, and renal impairment or are too large to pass. This chapter will discuss medical expulsive therapy (MET), shockwave lithotripsy (SWL), ureteroscopy (URS), and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) and how these techniques are the cornerstone of modern stone surgery.