A ?exible or rigid endoscopic instrument (see ENDOSCOPE) that is inserted (via the URINARY BLADDER) into the URETER and up into the pelvis of the kidney (see KIDNEYS). The instrument is commonly used to identify a stone in the ureter and to remove it under vision with forceps or a stone basket. If the stone is large it is broken into fragments, using an ultrasound or electrohydraulic LITHOTRIPSY probe that is inserted through the instrument.
n. a rigid or flexible instrument that can be passed into the ureter and up into the pelvis of the kidney. It is most commonly used to visualize a stone in the ureter and remove it safely under direct vision with a stone basket or forceps. Larger stones need to be fragmented before removal with an ultrasound probe, lithoclast, or lasers. Ureteroscopy can also be used to visualize tumours in the ureter, and a flexible ureteroscope can be passed into the kidney to visualize and treat tumours or stones.
n. 1. the process of breaking calculi (stones) into smaller fragments by the application of shock waves. This will enable the stones to pass naturally or be removed more easily. In extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL), used for breaking calculi in the upper urinary tract, the shock waves are generated and transmitted by an external power source. The specialized machine (a lithotripter) consists of a sophisticated radiological system to localize the stone accurately by biplanar X-ray and a shock head or transducer to produce and focus the energy source. The prototype machines required the patient to be anaesthetized and immersed in a water bath for treatment, but modern machines require neither water bath nor general anaesthesia. In electrohydraulic lithotripsy (EHL), used for breaking urinary calculi, an electrically generated shock wave is transmitted to the stone by a contact probe delivered via a *nephroscope or *ureteroscope. Laser lithotripsy has also been available since the 1980s. 2. see litholapaxy.... lithotripsy
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