When stones form in the kidneys and pass into the ureters, it is typically a painful process for them to continue the rest of the journey before leaving the inside of the body. if the stones are small enough, letting nature takes its course and waiting for them to pass on their own can be attempted.

However, the larger stones tend to cause problems and get stuck somewhere between the kidneys and the outside world. When this occurs, there are several removal methods available for the patient at Magic Valley Urology.

One such method is called ureteroscopy. During a ureteroscopy, a small telescope (the ureteroscope) is introduced into the urethra and bladder to find the location of the stone that is stuck. This procedure is typically done under general anesthesia in the hospital and lasts from one to two hours.

If the stone is small enough to be snared, a basket device is used to remove the entire intact stone from the ureter. In the case of a very narrow ureter or a stone that is too large to pass, a laser is used to break the stone into tiny pieces and then removed piece by piece.