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Login to My HealthEndourology and Stone Disease
The USC Institute of Urology’s internationally-renowned Center for Endourology and Stone Disease provides comprehensive and advanced endourologic surgical options for an entire range of kidney and ureteral diseases. Our expertise centers around medical and surgical management of simple and complex cases of stone disease, upper tract transitional cell carcinoma and upper tract obstructive uropathy. Patients benefit from a complete spectrum of urologic endoscopic technology and techniques, as well as the latest equipment, including both flexible and rigid instrumentation with high-definition visualization.
At USC, we have created the first comprehensive stone center on the West Coast. This comprehensive center combines medical therapy, preventive therapy, surgery, endocrinology, dietetics and nephrology. We offer advanced endourologic and minimally invasive surgical options.
Percutaneous
USC urologists have world-leading expertise in advanced and complicated percutaneous surgery. We perform both routine and challenging cases including upper tract transitional cell cancer, complicated stone disease (multiple stones, large stones, full staghorn stones), and congenital anomalies such as uretero-pelvic junction obstruction, and ectopic kidney. Our minimally invasive and endourologic surgeons have more experience than any other team in the world in complex percutaneous surgery for surgical problems in a solitary kidney, as well as in simple and challenging pediatric applications.
Retrograde Intra-Renal Surgery and Ureteroscopy
Our physicians perform the entire range of retrograde ureteroscopic and intra-renal surgery cases for stone disease, obstruction and cancer. The advantages of this procedure compared to open surgery include quicker recovery time and elimination of prolonged pain.
Upper Tract Transitional Cell Carcinoma
USC’s upper tract transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) program offers truly unique expertise in kidney-sparing strategies for appropriate patients. These include ureteroscopic and percutaneous treatments for upper tract TCC with a normal opposite kidney, solitary kidney, decreased renal function, and TCC in difficult hard-to-reach locations. For those patients who are not candidates for these treatments, laparoscopic surgical alternatives are offered. USC laparoscopic and robotic surgeons have pioneered and developed many of these laparoscopic techniques. We have more experience than any other team in the world in advanced laparoscopic surgery for upper tract TCC.
Medical Stone Therapy
Our comprehensive stone therapy program is the largest in Southern California. Our physicians are recognized experts in creating innovative, personalized medical treatments for various types of stone disease by enabling many patients with stones to be treated without major open surgery.
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy is used by USC urologists for non-invasive kidney stone treatment. This technique uses shock waves to break up stones that are too large to pass. The stones are broken down into tiny pieces, which can then be spontaneously passed with the urine.
