[Current options in the treatment of urolithiasis]

Until the 1980s, treatment of upper urinary tract often involved extensive surgical procedures. With the introduction of the extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy and refinements to endoscopic instruments and surgical techniques, it has now become possible to destroy stones in most cases without open surgery. Modern stone management can be divided into three steps. The first step covers the treatment of acute pain and the drainage of an obstructed and possibly infected kidney. The second step aims to either remove for destroy the stone. The third step is directed towards the prophylaxis of stone recurrence.