Calculi Research Paper

Calculi is commonly known as a kidney stone. The number one symptom accompanying a kidney stone is severe pain in the abdomen due to a build up of crystal-forming substances in the urinary system that are too large to pass. Harwood (1985) points out, two types of lithotripsy that can be used to shatter a kidney stone. The first is called percutaneous ultrasonic lithotripsy and is used for large calculi. PUL is an invasive procedure where a nephroscope is inserted through the abdomen into the area where the calculi is located and pulverized with sound waves. The second is extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy which is a non-invasive procedure used for smaller calculi. The patient is placed in water and shock waves are produced to shatter the