Non-invasive procedure to break down kidney stones now available at HSHS Holy Family Hospital

(GREENVILLE, IL) – HSHS Holy Family Hospital is now offering extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) to help those with kidney stones. Dr. David Bitzer, a board-certified urologist with HSHS Medical Group who specializes in this procedure, recently started seeing patients at Holy Family Hospital.
 
ESWL is a non-invasive procedure that uses shock waves to break down stones in the kidneys into smaller pieces that are more likely to pass and less likely to cause pain. This procedure works well for stones which can be seen on an x-ray.
 
“Being able to break up stones with shock wave lithotripsy is very beneficial to the patient,” said Bitzer. “This procedure doesn’t require any incisions and is done as an outpatient surgery.  It allows patients to return to work within one to two days with minimal discomfort.  Stones can be treated before they start to cause symptoms and this technology allows patients to be treated locally at Holy Family Hospital.”
 
For more information about shock wave lithotripsy, call (618) 690-3411.