Nearly 3.3 million Americans seek out medical care for kidney stone removal and pain relief each year.
A kidney stone is a solid piece of material that forms in a kidney out of substances in the urine. A stone may stay in the kidney or break loose and travel down the urinary tract. A small stone may pass all the way out of the body without causing too much pain. A larger stone may get stuck in a ureter, the bladder, or the urethra. A problem stone can block the flow of urine and cause great pain. There are a number of different factors that can cause kidney stones: excess calcium or uric acid in the urine, an infection, or rarely, they can be hereditary.
If you have kidney stones and need them removed, you’re not alone. They affect nearly 12% of the population in the US., and even more than that in South Carolina. Thanks to advancements in technology, kidney stone removal is now a minimally-invasive procedure using lasers. I grew up playing sports, video games, piano and guitar. Little did my parents or I know that these activities would give me the skills I’d need for my future profession. They developed my ability to look at a screen, immerse myself in the task at hand, zero in on a target, and zap the bad guys. I now use these skills to guide the lasers through tiny scopes or lithotripsy, focusing on the kidney stone to break it up. I have performed thousands of these kidney stone operations and my staff has removed more than 15,000 stones!
If you’re wondering how you got kidney stones in the first place, ninety percent of the time I can figure out why a patient is getting kidney stones and provide solutions to prevent future stones. In some cases, medication can be used to prevent stones.
Kidney Stone Removal at the Carolina Stone Center
The Carolina Stone Center is South Carolina’s premier lithotripsy and stone treatment center. Patients in need of relief from kidney stones can take advantage of the immediate availability of our resources. Established in 1986 to meet the needs of patients with stones in the urinary system, the Carolina Stone Center has remained on the cutting edge of technology and procedures. Capital Urology performs all kidney stone removal procedures at the Carolina Stone Center.
Get in Touch for Kidney Stone Relief
If you or your loved ones suffer from kidney stones, give us a call at 803-251-6602. Because we perform kidney stone removal at the Carolina Stone Center, we can usually provide immediate relief on the same day.