When dealing with kidney stones, the doctors might suggest you with several method to removing kidney stones, such as Ureteroscopy, Lithotripsy, Ultrasonic lithotripsy, Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), etc, although it still depend on the patient condition and their medical background. But there is another method that becomes un-popular during these days, since the technology is growing faster and lot of invention and new technique are develop. It is Open Surgery.
Why open surgery became infamous during these days? One of the reasons is because in the last decades the technology of kidney stone surgery had allowing the patient to remove the stone without dealing with the needle and incision anymore. Means that the patient would free from the fear-ness about how scary the surgery is, infact this latest technique allowing the patient to recover faster than older method.
Okay, lets us known about open surgery closely. Open surgery is a technique when the surgeon usually makes an incision in the person’s abdomen or the backside of the patient to reach the kidney and then remove the stones manually. The surgeon then will put a small tube called catheter into the kidney to drain the urine out, this technique is used to heal the kidneys.
Because the incision will make a wound in your body, the patient needs to take a long rest to recover it. It would take 6 to 9 days in the hospital, but actually the patient still need another 4 to 6 weeks to fully recovered and resume their daily activities. Uniquely, before it become un-popular, open surgery technique is commonly suggested because it successful rate to remove the kidney stone completely. Although it still depend on the location of the kidney stone.
For the patient whose already take pass the open surgery, during the recovery phrase at home, the patient still need to aware with these following sign, such as sudden pain, feel nausea and vomiting, struck by fever or any sign of infection. The patient should call the doctor immediately if they found such as condition like that. Better prepare than sorry.
Like other surgical method, open surgery also has a several risk, include, severe bleeding, the possibility of infection and the risk that associated with anaesthesia. Later on, there is also risk that the kidney may damage by the open surgery and may have to be removed.
The surgeon will suggest the open surgery when the patient met these several condition, such as the condition when the patient have a large stones caused by an infection, usually called stag-horn calculi, or the patient were born with an abnormality in the urinary system that affects urine flow in the ureters, bladder and kidneys, or the patient already failed in other methods in order to remove the stone.
Compile and re-written based on article by Paul Lehnert
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