What Is A Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy?

A percutaneous nephrolithotomy, or PCNL, is a kidney stone operation for large or multiple stones. The health care professional does the operation in a medical center operating room. It normally necessitates hospital stay of 1 to 2 nights.

What happens throughout the procedure?

A PCNL commonly will last 1 to 3 hours. Once you are under anesthesia, your doctor will make little incision within your back. Your doctor positions a protective sleeve called sheath through your back and within your kidney. The doctor then passes a video scope referred to as nephroscope through the sheath to find and remove the kidney stones.

To help your kidney heal and drain urine throughout the recovery process, your physician might place a nephrostomy tube or a ureteral stent at the conclusion of the procedure.

Some patients require second procedure to take out all of the stone. If that's the case, the nephrostomy tube and stent could be left in place until the following operation.

What do I have to do prior to the treatment?

There are 3 significant things to do prior to your procedure:

Speak with your Saint Louis urology doctor. Let your physician know:

• All of your prescribed medication, vitamins, and supplemental herbs and natural remedies, and non-prescription medications.
• Any known allergies you have to medicines and the contra agent found in some x-rays.
• If you could be pregnant.

Study the pre-operative information. Make time to review these instructions provided by your physician. For example, you may need to:

• Go to appointments for medical tests prior to the surgery like an electrocardiogram (EKG), x-rays, and blood and urine checks.
• Go over with your doctor medicines that may raise your chance of bleeding, for instance: aspirin, ibuprofen, warfarin, clopidrogel, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. You may need to give up taking many of these medicines prior to the procedure.
• Take antibiotics, if prescribed, to help you prevent infection.
• Discuss with your doctor on which of your regular medicines to take the morning of operation. On that day, take these drugs with only sip of water.
• Don't have anything to eat or drink after midnight the night before operation (apart from the drink of water with your morning medicine).

Plan for a ride home

Following the operation, you simply can't drive yourself home. Prior to the procedure, ask a close relative or a trusted friend to pick you up and bring you home. The majority of hospitals and surgery centers in the St. Louis, MO area won't permit you to take a taxi home following the surgery.

If you've got more questions on a Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy, Metropolitan Urological Services would be glad to help you out. Their offices have locations at St. Louis, Washington, and Florissant, Missouri.