Dissolution of stones by oral and irrigative therapy

Abstract

Advancement in percutaneous and endoscopic techniques has revolutionized surgical treatment options for upper and lower urinary tract calculi. However, while the use of oral and irrigative therapies for stone dissolution has declined over the last decades, these therapies continue to serve as a safe alternative to surgery, especially in patients with significant comorbidities. This chapter examines principles of chemolysis for component-specific stone dissolution including pH manipulation, cation chelation, and mixed disulfide bond formation, as well as setup and deployment of percutaneous irrigation systems.