Bladder Stone Removal in Jaipur

What bladder stones are and how bladder stone removal works

Bladder stones are hard deposits of minerals that can form inside your urinary bladder. When urine stays in your bladder without emptying out fully, concentrated minerals begin to settle down together. Over time, these mineral crystals stick to one another and build up into stones.

Cystolitholapaxy is a procedure to remove bladder stones. It is a surgical treatment that cleans out these mineral deposits from your urinary bladder. During this procedure, your surgeon does not need to make open cuts on your skin in most situations. Instead, our surgical team uses an endoscopic route through your natural urinary passage.

Surgeons use an instrument called a cystoscope to locate the stone or stones inside your bladder. A cystoscope is a thin tube with a camera on the end. Your surgeon gently inserts this cystoscope through your urethra and moves it directly into the bladder. The camera on the instrument shows your surgeon exactly where the stones sit.

Once the stones are found, specialised energy tools break them apart into tiny pieces. In our operating rooms, a laser or pneumatic mechanical device crushes the stones into smaller fragments. Finally, your surgeon washes the small stone fragments out of your bladder using fluids. Jaipur Hospital provides this surgical care through our Urology department.

Symptoms of bladder stones and warning signs needing urgent medical care

Kidney and urinary stones can cause painful interruptions to your daily routine. When stones sit inside your bladder, they can rub against the sensitive inner lining. You may experience difficulty passing urine, pain or discomfort in your lower belly, and an urge to pee frequently.

Certain warning signs require immediate medical attention on the same day. You should contact your healthcare provider or visit our 24×7 emergency department if you notice any of these problems:

• Severe pain while peeing
• Persistent or severe lower abdominal pain or back pain
• Passing blood clots in your urine
• Sudden inability to pass urine at all
• High fever or chills

Our casualty team and emergency doctors at Jaipur Hospital evaluate acute urinary symptoms at any hour of the day or night. If a stone blocks the passage of urine completely, urine collects inside your bladder and needs prompt attention from our urologists.

Causes of bladder stones and who is at higher risk

Bladder stones form when minerals in concentrated urine crystallise and join together. The primary reason this occurs is that the bladder fails to empty out its urine completely. When residual urine remains behind after each visit to the toilet, stone-forming salts settle at the base of the bladder.

Several physical conditions put individuals at a higher risk of developing vesical calculi:

• Prostate enlargement: In men, an enlarged prostate gland presses on the urethra. This blocks the normal flow of urine and leaves urine behind in the bladder.
• Nerve problems affecting the bladder: Conditions that weaken the nerves controlling the bladder prevent the muscles from squeezing out urine completely.
• Bladder outlet narrowing: Strictures or scarring in the urinary pipe obstruct the free flow of urine.
• Foreign devices in the urinary tract: Catheters or stents left in the urinary tract can allow mineral crusts to settle along their surfaces.
• Recurrent urinary tract infections: Chronic bacterial infections change urine chemistry and encourage mineral deposits to stick together.

Bladder stones are likely to come back again unless the underlying condition that causes them is diagnosed and managed properly. For this reason, our surgical team evaluates the urinary tract thoroughly to identify why the bladder failed to empty.

How bladder stones are diagnosed through examination and tests

When you visit the urology OPD at Jaipur Hospital, your doctor begins with a clinical evaluation. Your surgeon discusses your symptoms, asks how often you pass urine, and checks your medical history. A physical examination of your lower abdomen helps check for bladder tenderness or urine retention.

Your doctor will order diagnostic imaging and laboratory investigations to confirm the stone. Ultrasound imaging of the pelvis and kidneys checks the bladder wall, measures residual urine volume, and looks for stones. In studies of stone diagnosis, computed tomography scans are used to measure the exact diameters and total burden of urinary calculi. Jaipur Hospital conducts these scans through our in-house diagnostic laboratory and imaging department.

Your surgeon may also perform a cystoscopy to inspect the bladder directly. A cystoscopy is a procedure that looks inside your bladder and urethra. Healthcare providers mainly use it to diagnose bladder problems, such as bladder stones or frequent urinary tract infections. During a cystoscopy, your doctor passes a slender tube with a lens into the urethra.

It is possible that you have a cystoscopy as part of your diagnosis and a cystolitholapaxy as part of your surgical treatment. If a stone is spotted during diagnostic cystoscopy, your surgeon can discuss planning the surgical breakdown and removal in the operation theatre.

Treatment options without surgery and when bladder stone removal is advised

Medical management without surgery depends largely on the size of the stone and whether it blocks the flow of urine. Small stones may pass spontaneously without any surgical procedure. Your doctor may advise drinking adequate fluids and taking medications from our in-house chemist to help ease mild symptoms while watching if a tiny particle passes out on its own.

However, stones causing severe symptoms may require surgical intervention. Stones larger than 5 mm or stones causing persistent pain or obstruction may be considered for surgical removal. Bladder stones cannot dissolve on their own once they become dense and bulky. If left untreated, they can cause ongoing urinary obstruction, recurrent infections, and damage to the bladder lining.

When surgery is advised, several surgical techniques exist to clear the stones:

• Cystolitholapaxy with Holmium laser: This technique uses laser energy pulses to break stones into tiny dust or fragments with minimal mucosal injury. In medical research, dust is defined as fragments smaller than 3 mm.
• Pneumatic lithotripsy: This method uses mechanical pressure waves to crack large, hard stones into pieces so your surgeon can remove them.
• Combined laser and pneumatic lithotripsy: This combined approach provides efficient debulking when there is a bulky stone burden in the bladder.
• Open cystolithotomy: This is an open surgical procedure, which remains rare and is reserved for giant stones or when you need concurrent prostate surgery.

Your surgeon will advise which surgical technique suits your condition after reviewing your scan reports and stone size. If you are preparing for surgical treatment, our surgical team will give you specific instructions on how to prepare before coming to the hospital.

Preparing for bladder stone removal surgery

Before your bladder stone removal surgery, your healthcare provider will give you clear instructions on how to prepare. You will have routine pre-operative tests and checks done by our hospital team to ensure you are ready for the operation.

You must speak with your doctor at the OPD about all the medicines you currently take. It is helpful to bring a full list of your daily tablets and supplements. Do not alter any medicine doses on your own, but let your surgeon check every prescription. Your chemist can also give you a printed summary of your current medicines if needed.

Fasting is necessary before your procedure. In studies evaluating patients before stone procedures, patients fasted for 12 hours without solid food and 6 hours without clear liquids prior to surgery under anaesthesia. Our surgical team will inform you of the exact hours to stop eating and drinking.

On the day of admission, bring your identification documents, any previous medical records, and your insurance papers. You should also arrange for an adult family attendant to accompany you to Jaipur Hospital to assist you during your stay and help you return home.

How bladder stone removal is done on the day of surgery

Bladder stone removal is commonly performed as an endoscopic procedure called cystolitholapaxy. On the day of surgery, you will be taken into the operation theatre where our surgical team will prepare you. The procedure typically takes 30 to 60 minutes.

Before the operation begins, you will receive anaesthesia so you do not feel pain. In typical practice at Jaipur Hospital, surgeons use spinal or general anaesthesia. Evidence notes that surgeons perform the procedure using local or general anaesthesia. With general anaesthesia, you are asleep during the procedure. Most people in studies receive general anaesthesia. When local anaesthesia is used, you stay awake but do not feel pain in your groin area.

During a cystolitholapaxy, your surgeon gently inserts a cystoscope through your urethra and into your bladder. A cystoscope is a thin tube with a camera at the end that shows your surgeon the inside of your bladder and the exact location of the stones. A surgical tool then breaks the stones into small fragments. Finally, fluids are used to wash the stone fragments out of your bladder.

There are several surgical options to treat bladder stones. Your surgeon will advise which option suits you:

• Cystolitholapaxy with Holmium laser: This technique uses laser energy for precise fragmentation with minimal mucosal injury.
• Pneumatic lithotripsy: This method uses mechanical impact energy and is cost-effective for large, hard stones.
• Combined laser and pneumatic: This method combines both energies for efficient debulking of bulky stone burden.
• Open cystolithotomy: This is an open surgical procedure, which is rare and reserved for giant stones or concurrent prostate surgery.

Risks and possible complications of bladder stone surgery

Cystolitholapaxy is considered a safe, minimally invasive procedure, but like any surgical procedure, complications can occur. In one clinical study of laser lithotripsy using different irrigation fluid temperatures, adverse events above grade III on the Clavien-Dindo grading system did not occur.

In that study, researchers observed a few individual complications. There was 1 case of postoperative bleeding out of 37 patients in the 37 °C irrigation group, which stopped 3 days after placement of a catheter for bladder irrigation. That same group had 1 case of urinary retention, where the catheter was successfully removed after 1 week.

There was also 1 case of flash pulmonary oedema in the 37 °C group, and 1 case of ureteral abrasion in the 17 °C group. In another study of laser technology, 1 patient developed a stricture that required endoureterotomy.

Postoperative fever can also occur after urinary stone procedures. In one trial of 108 patients, 10 patients (9.2%) developed a body temperature higher than 38.5 °C after the operation. Fever rates in that trial ranged from 13.5% to 38.9% depending on the irrigation temperature used. The overall rate of urinary tract infection in that study was 4.6%.

Shivering was noted in 2.7% to 22.2% of patients during recovery. In other medical literature cited in the study, fever after ureteroscopy is reported in less than 5% of patients, and urinary tract infection rates are typically 1% to 1.8%.

Recovery and aftercare following bladder stone removal

Following the procedure, you will spend time resting in a recovery room. Bladder stone removal is commonly an outpatient procedure, meaning you can often go home on the same day. At Jaipur Hospital, your stay is typically daycare or 1 night.

In typical hospital protocol, you will have a urinary catheter for 1 to 2 days. A catheter is a soft tube that carries urine from your bladder into an external drainage bag while your urinary passage rests.

In clinical evidence, a catheter may remain in place for up to a week while your body heals before your healthcare provider removes it. It is normal to have mild post-operative symptoms for about one week.

During the first 24 hours, you must avoid driving, operating machinery, drinking alcohol, or signing legal papers because leftover anaesthesia may still affect your system. Once you return home, you can resume eating and drinking as normal. Your provider will advise you to walk around gently after surgery to prevent blood clots in your legs.

Most people can return to work or school within 2 to 3 days, depending on physical activity. Normal everyday activity is typically resumed in 1 week, and overall recovery takes about 1 week. You can usually restart strenuous exercise, lifting heavy objects, and sports after 14 days. Most people complete their full recovery within 2 weeks.

Your surgeon will schedule a follow-up appointment about 1 to 2 weeks after surgery. If you went home with a catheter, a visit will be scheduled for its removal. You should contact Jaipur Hospital or your doctor immediately if you develop pain while peeing, abdominal pain, back pain, or blood clots in your pee.

Results and long-term stone clearance in studies

Clinical studies show that endoscopic stone fragmentation provides high rates of stone clearance. In a study evaluating laser dusting and extraction for urinary stones, complete stone clearance at 48 hours was achieved in 77.3% of cases. The remaining 22.7% of patients achieved complete clearance at their 1-month follow-up scan.

Studies also show that modern pulse modulation laser technologies significantly reduce stone fragmentation time and reduce retropulsion. However, overall success rates at 3 months remain comparable between standard and newer laser delivery modes. After treatment, your doctor may arrange follow-up imaging, such as an X-ray or CT scan, to confirm that all stones have been removed.

Bladder stones can form again unless the medical condition that caused them is identified and treated. Stones often develop when urine remains trapped in the bladder due to an enlarged prostate, nerve issues, or a blockage. Our urology team will evaluate the underlying reason for your stone formation so you can take proper long-term preventive steps.

Cost of bladder stone removal and insurance options in Jaipur

The typical cost of bladder stone removal at Jaipur Hospital ranges from ₹40,000 to ₹1,00,000. You can ask our hospital team for an individual estimate based on your specific clinical condition.

Across India, the cost of surgical stone removal can vary depending on several factors.

These factors include:

• The exact type of procedure needed
• The hospital location
• Your overall general health

For example, patients with chronic conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes may require additional care and monitoring, which can alter the final cost. The surgeon's level of experience, the specific technology used, and the length of hospital stay also influence the expense.

Jaipur Hospital is a NABH-accredited multispeciality hospital serving patients across Rajasthan. We work with various government healthcare schemes and third-party administrators (TPAs). Our empannelment includes the Rajasthan Government Health Scheme (RGHS), MAA Yojana, and the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS). We also partner with a panel of private insurance companies and TPAs to facilitate cashless and reimbursement claims. Please visit our hospital counter with your scheme card or insurance policy to verify your coverage.