Pass it once, prevent it forever — with a real metabolic workup.
Most patients who pass a kidney stone are told to drink more water and sent home. That is the bare minimum. A proper metabolic workup — stone analysis plus 24-hour urine collection — tells us why this stone formed in this body, and how to prevent the next one. Roughly half of patients who form a first stone will form another within five years without prevention.
Treating the stone you have now
Most stones under 5 mm pass on their own with hydration, alpha-blocker therapy, and time. Larger stones, stones lodged at the ureter, or stones with infection require active treatment.
We perform shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL), ureteroscopy with laser fragmentation, and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for stones the office cannot manage conservatively. Treatment is matched to the stone, not the calendar.
Preventing the next one
Stone composition analysis on the stone itself. 24-hour urine collection — the single most underused test in stone medicine. Targeted dietary and medication adjustments based on the actual chemistry of your urine, not generic advice.
Common questions
Will I need surgery?
Most stones don't. Of those that do, the vast majority are managed with same-day endoscopic procedures rather than open surgery.
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