Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
If you’re someone who is familiar with kidney stones or have a loved one who suffers from them, you may know a procedure that is typically performed is called a Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL).
The word ‘percutaneous’ means the surgeon will go through the skin into the kidney, and ‘nephrolithotomy’ means that the stone will be taken out of the kidney. The procedure begins with making a small incision in the kidney. Then, through the back reaching the kidney by using a small scope and instrument to break the kidney stone up into smaller pieces, and suction the pieces out.1
What you may not know is that there is now a new procedure available to those afflicted, called a Minimally Invasive Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy or a Mini PCNL. Physicians Regional Healthcare System Urologist, B. Barckley Storey, is the first physician to perform this procedure in the Southwest Florida area.
“With this new procedure from Olympus we are basically able to remove large kidney stones through an incision that’s a quarter of the size of previous incisions. Incisions that were the size of a thumb are now smaller than a pencil,” says Dr. Storey.
This new technique has also resulted in significantly less post-operative pain and earlier return to work and daily activities when compared to open stone surgery. The procedure also has a higher success rate for clearing all stones in one setting than other techniques such as extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), which often require several attempts.1
Dr. Storey says, “No more tubes in the back, decreased bleeding and pain, and a shorter hospital stay are the biggest and most positive differences for patients that have this new procedure.”
When comparing the two, mini vs. conventional PCNL, the latter has shown comparable efficacy in most cases.2 Unlike traditional PCNL, Mini PCNL is performed through a smaller opening and with smaller instruments. As a result patients experience less discomfort and pain, no drainage tube in the back, and a speedier recovery.1
“We are still in the infant stages, but very excited to be helping develop this procedure with Olympus.”
Out of the three other centers in the state, Physicians Regional Healthcare System is not only the first organization to offer this procedure on this coast, but also the first in Southwest Florida.
Dr. Benjamin Barckley Storey, board certified in urology, specializes in a broad range of urologic conditions affecting men and women. His practice serves those with kidney stones, prostate disease, stress urinary incontinence and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), as well as prostate and renal cancer.
Dr. Storey’s offices are located in Naples at Physicians Regional – Collier Blvd, 8340 Collier Blvd. and Physicians Regional- Marco Island, 1839 San Marco Road. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call 239-348-4221, or schedule online at PhysiciansRegionalMedicalGroup.com.
References:
1 https://blog.medstarwashington.org/2019/07/02/mini-pcnl-
minimally-invasive-treatment-for-large-kidney-stones/
2 https://www.urotoday.com/conference-highlights/wce-2018/
107024-wce-2018-how-i-do-it-mini-pcnl.html