About this page. This is a plain English summary of bladder stones and how they are treated. It does not replace medical advice from your own doctor or specialist.
For full information and references, please read the detailed page.
Why bladder stones form
In men, bladder stones are most often caused by an enlarged prostate getting in the way of the urine flow. Urine sits in the bladder for too long, gets concentrated, and stones can form.
Because the underlying cause is the blockage, treatment usually has two parts: removing the stones, and dealing with the blockage at the same time (or shortly afterwards).
The older ways of removing stones
Bladder stones have traditionally been treated in one of two ways:
- Open surgery through an incision in the lower abdomen. This works, but recovery is longer.
- Mechanical crushing of the stone using an instrument inside the bladder. This avoids an incision but can cause significant trauma to the side wall of the bladder, particularly with larger or harder stones.
Holmium laser vaporisation
Dr Kooner uses a holmium laser to treat bladder stones, including very large ones. A telescope is passed through the urethra, and the laser turns the stone into fine dust, which is then washed out. There are no incisions on the abdomen, and most patients are out of hospital the day after the procedure.
If an enlarged prostate has caused the stones, the prostate can often be treated at the same operation - see the short version: enlarged prostate for the options.
Important things to know
- If a bladder stone is caused by a blocked outflow (commonly an enlarged prostate), removing the stone alone is not enough - the cause needs to be looked at too, otherwise stones can come back.
- Like any bladder operation, treatment carries some risk of bleeding, infection, and short-term burning or stinging when passing urine.
- Larger stones generally take longer to treat, and very hard stones occasionally need a staged approach.
- Choice of technique depends on stone size, the state of the bladder lining, and what is causing the blockage in the first place.
What you can do next
- Read the full detailed page with references and patient brochures.
- Short version: an enlarged prostate.
- Short version: kidney stones.
- Short version: flexible cystoscopy.
- Request a second opinion on a treatment plan.
- Call 02 8382 6980 to make an appointment.