What Size Kidney Stone Requires Lithotripsy. Smaller the size of a stone the faster it can pass through the urinary tract. Based on their size they may have trouble moving through the urinary tract out of the body.
Kidney stones 5 mm or larger in size cannot pass on their own and require surgery for removal. The decision whether to use lithotripsy is dependent on stone size number density and location. The thinks the size of the stone and its fragments without the stent may give problems passing through the kidney ureter and out the penis.
Large stones can cause increased pain and this pain can sometimes be completely incapacitating.
Time needed for passing kidney stones. Lithotripsy is a non invasive surgical procedure used to treat kidney stones. Large kidney stones require intervention for removal typically a surgical procedure. Lithotripsy for kidney stones is usually considered for larger stones as smaller stones will usually pass on their own without any type of medical intervention.