Ureteroscopy

What is ureteroscopy and for what diseases is it performed?

Ureteroscopy is a type of endoscopy of the urinary system that is performed when kidney stones are stuck in the ureter (the narrow and elongated tubes that carry urine from the kidney to the bladder). In this way, the urologist examines, diagnoses and treats the urinary tract.

The doctor uses the ureteroscopy method to better examine and diagnose people who feel pain and burning when urinating or who are suspected of having kidney stones. In most cases, depending on the location, size and type of kidney stones, this diagnostic method can be used as a treatment.

What is ureteroscopy?
Ureteroscopy is used to diagnose and treat ureteral stones. With the help of this method, the urologist can examine the ureteral stones, identify their type and remove them. In this method, a small flexible scope with a long tube with a camera attached to its end is inserted into the ureter and bladder to check the type and number of stones with endoscopy.

Urethroscopy
The ureteroscopy diagnostic method is used to remove ureteral stones. Kidney stones are formed from natural mineral crystals in fine and coarse form. The place where these stones are made is the kidney, but sometimes they move to the ureter (the tubes that carry urine from the kidney to the bladder).

Due to the narrowness of the ureter, kidney stones get stuck in that area. In this case, the urine collects behind the ureteral stone, which will be accompanied by a lot of pain and burning. If kidney stones are stuck near the bladder and the lower half of the ureter, they can be removed with the help of ureteroscopy.

When is ureteroscopy prescribed?
If the urologist suspects a tumor, abnormal tissue or polyp in your urethra, he will request this diagnostic and therapeutic procedure. Also, if urinary system problems cannot be diagnosed, they will use the ureteroscopy method.

People who go to the doctor with symptoms such as heartburn or difficulty urinating, based on the results of other tests such as urinalysis, CT scan, and MRI, there is a high possibility of ureteroscopy for them.
In general, it can be said that ureteroscopy is more useful for the following people:
pregnant women
Overweight people
People with blood clotting problems
Usually, these people use ureteroscopy more often. If you are one of these people and you intend to do ureteroscopy, you can refer to Dr. Urology.

Types of ureteroscopy
This urinary tract endoscopic method has 2 diagnostic and therapeutic types.

1. Diagnostic method
In this method, the specialist doctor can accurately examine the urinary tract without the least damage to the mucosa. Often, diagnostic ureteroscopy will be performed with a wire-free technique, which leads to a complete view and examination of the ureteral tubes near the kidney.

2. Treatment method
Therapeutic ureteroscopy is used to treat ureteral kidney stones. In some cases, it will be known as the primary treatment, and in other cases, it will be used after stone crushing with the help of waves to remove the crushed pieces of stone. With the help of this method, you can easily clean the ureter tubes from stuck stones.

Advantages of ureteroscopy treatment method
This diagnostic and therapeutic method helps the urology doctor in the field of examination and diagnosis. Therefore, in urinary tract diseases that are difficult to diagnose, ureteroscopy is used. In general, it can be said that the advantages of ureteroscopy treatment are:

The doctor can accurately examine the urinary tract.
It is possible to crush stones and destroy them with this method.
The urologist can take a sample from the abnormal and suspicious tissue of the urethra.