If you have a blockage or a risk of kidney damage, your doctor will suggest treatment to remove your kidney stone. Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy(ESWL) is the most common method of dealing with kidney stones. Your doctor will use X-ray imaging or ultrasound scanning to find your kidney stone. While you're lying down, a machine called a lithotriptor sends shock waves through the skin of your abdomen(tummy) to your kidney stone to break it up into crystals small enough to be passed in your urine. You may feel some pain as the stone breaks up, so the procedure is usually performed under a local anaesthetic.
Attribution: BUPA