Central Carolina HEALTH - Spring 2012 - (Page 10)

No Stone Lithotripsy helps local man find a life without kidney stones Dean Flynn is one in a million. Dean is director of emergency medicine at Central Carolina Hospital, and he’s one of 1 million patients in the U.S. last year who experienced a powerful, noninvasive procedure called lithotripsy to treat kidney stones. Unfortunately, to experience lithotripsy, Dean first had to make an unscheduled visit to his own ER. Unturned The lithotripsy procedure pulverizes a kidney stone using shock waves. Why Stones Form Kidney stones form when material normally passed through the kidneys remains in the urinary tract, where it crystallizes and hardens. Most stones are composed of excess calcium, though there are other types, too. Small, smooth stones may pass through the urinary tract without discomfort. Some stones, however, become too large or have rough edges, and these can become stuck in the urinary tract, causing extreme pain. In fall 2011, Dean was awakened from sleep by the piercing pain of kidney stones. “I’d had stones years ago—I’m a ‘stone-former’ of long duration—so I knew immediately there was a problem,” he says. His wife took him to the ER, a diagnosis was made using ultrasound and X-rays, and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy was Kidney stones with rough performed the next day by Central Carolina edges can cause pain. Hospital urologist William Purvis, MD. The first session took care of the largest stone, and two elective follow-up visits eliminated smaller stones. Dean adds, “I wanted to take care of all the stones before they returned in the middle of the night.” How the Procedure Works 10 | S P R I N G 2 0 1 2 Lithotripsy gets its name from the Greek words for stone (litho) and breaking (tripso), and the procedure, pioneered in the 1980s, literally pulverizes the stones using shock waves. As a noninvasive procedure, done under conscious sedation on an outpatient basis, lithotripsy allows for rapid relief for the patient and a faster return to a normal routine. Dean explains the Central Carolina Hospital procedure: “There is a cut-out in the bed for the lithotriptor. It slides under the bed, and a gel-filled rubber dome is placed in the cut-out and against the skin.” Using ultrasound, the doctor visualizes the stones on a monitor as the focused acoustic pulse—a sound wave—breaks up the stones into tiny fragments. These fragments then pass through the ureter and are excreted in the urine. Following a brief recovery time, the patient is released. Dean says, “When you compare this to the older treatments of ‘wait-and-see’ or surgery, the benefits are huge. The pain is resolved rapidly, and damage to the kidneys is minimized.” A number of factors, including diet, cause stones. “In general, dark beverages and acidic foods should be avoided,” Dean notes. Other factors include being male, having a personal or family history of stones, eating a protein-heavy diet, and not drinking enough liquids. Dean is grateful lithotripsy helps him avoid being a patient in the same ER he has supervised for four years. Since his treatment, Dean has had no pain or evidence of stones. “However,” he laughs, “the debate is still going on about how much sweet tea I should drink.”

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Central Carolina HEALTH - Spring 2012

Central Carolina Health - Spring 2012
From the CEO
Health Beat
Bouncing Back
Welcome to the Network
No Stone Unturned
Heart Smart
Make the Right Call

Central Carolina HEALTH - Spring 2012