Bladder Stones Pain

Bladder stones are painful crystallized masses that build up in the bladder, causing abdominal pain, penile discomfort and, in severe cases, urinary-tract infections (UTI). Bladder stones primarily affect men. Although it is not known what specifically causes bladder stones, its pain is treatable through surgery to remove the stones.

Cystolitholapaxy

• A procedure called cystolitholapaxy eliminates bladder pain by breaking up bladder stones. A small laser or mechanical device is inserted into the urethra, which breaks up the bladder stone. The device then flushes the remaining pieces out of the body. This is the most common procedure for removing bladder stones.

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy

• Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) also helps break up bladder stones in the same manner as cystolitholapaxy. The only difference is that ESWL uses ultrasonic waves to break up bladder stones.

Open Surgery

• Open surgery is used to remove large or hard bladder stones that cannot break up. The doctor removes the bladder stone by making an incision into the bladder, removing each stone by hand. The chance of leaving stone fragments is small because the whole stone is removed and is never broken into pieces.