No Need for Surgery, It Only Takes 60 Minutes

Patients with kidney stone disorders can now be relieved. Karsuneka Clinic has recently adopted an advanced non-surgical kidney stone technology called extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL). How do these powerful tools work?

THE REVOLUTION of the treatment of kidney stone disorders using a third generation shock wave has begun to penetrate Bali. The procedure is simple and significantly more painless than the conventional kidney stone surgery; the patient will be asked to lay on the bed in which an Ultrasonography (USG) and fluoroscopy device is placed to monitor the location of the stone. Next to the cot is a membrane filled with water. Everything is placed in a temperature controlled room. The shock wave is issued by the machine, then water is delivered to a circular membrane attached to the waist of the patient. Meanwhile, with a remote the doctor will direct the ultrasound beam and fluoroscopy precisely target the kidney. When the position is on point, the destruction process begins. “Tek … tek..tek ..- tek … tek” the sound of the crushing process sounded loud in the ear.
“Both patient and the doctor will put on a pair of soundproof ear covering to protect from the loudness of the process”, said Dr. Kardi Suteja, SpU, head of the Karsuneka Clinic, which is located at Jalan Suli 49 Denpasar while demonstrating the crushing of stones. This ESWL model therapy has the ability to treat stones in the kidney, ureter and bladder. Whereas the previous generation of ESWL machines was not recommended for crushing ureteral stones.

“With open surgery, it is necessary to open the skin as long as 15-20 centimeters, the flesh and muscle layer of the waist. In this case, patients will require a few days of bed rest recovery. With this new technology, the patient can return immediately after surgery. The procedure is done with great transparency, even the patient can even watch the process of destroying the kidney stone through the monitor screen,” he said. However, not all sizes of stones can be destroyed with one shot. Only those under two centimeters in size can be destroyed in one shot. “Others may need more than one treatment session,” he said. The only limitation is that only patients with non-chronic kidney stones are eligible for this treatment. Patients with chronic kidney stone and sentenced to kidney failure will have to go through kidney removal, then continued kidney transparency. How much is the therapy fee? “For a package of therapy, the cost starts from Rp. 1.975 million to Rp. 3.5 million,” Dr Kardi explained. “It depends on the location and type of stone. On the other hand, men has 3 times more likelihood of suffering from kidney stone than women.” Nonetheless, it is indisputable that prevention is better than reaction. “The secret for not suffering from kidney failure is simple, namely drinking lots of water,” he advised.