article_snippet.sent: Once on the move, a stone can take days or weeks to travel out of the body.
article_snippet.sent: The most common is extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL).
article_snippet.sent: This involves sending shock-waves of energy through the skin that break down a stone. '
article_snippet.sent: It's also ineffective in most cases for people with obesity, as the shock-waves have further to go to reach a stone.'
article_snippet.sent: Under general anaesthetic, a thin scope is passed up your urethra and a laser is used to break up a stone.
article_snippet.sent: A nephroscope - a telescope-like device - is inserted through a small incision in your back.
article_snippet.sent: a stone is broken up using a combination of high-frequency ultrasound and pneumatic energy (a bit like a pneumatic drill digging up a road).