Urology Doctors

Information for Urology Doctors

The St. Vincent's Lithotripsy Service takes referrals from all Victorian urologists and urology units.

Case Selection

Technically, our lithotripsy machine is able to treat almost any renal or ureteric stone. Ultrasound is our preferred method for targeting stones, because it allows continuous monitoring of stone position during treatment. Stones that are difficult to see on plain xray are therefore not usually a problem.

If necessary, additional procedures, including stent insertion or removal, are performed at the time of ESWL.

Encrusted stents are a special interest of the unit. We have a high success rate for removal of these stents by treating the proximal coil and upper stent.

If you wish to discuss any specific case, please contact the urology fellow through the lithotripsy office: 03 9231 3628

Time urgent cases

Our service has the capacity to treat most urgent referrals within 7-14 days. We prioritise symptomatic patients and those with ureteric stones or stents.

How to refer a patient

• ESWL Referral Form - 2011

Fax the completed referral form to 03 9231 3627.

In addition, prior to scheduling treatment we require:

• MSU M/C/S
• Bloods - FBE, EUC, INR
• ECG
• Plain KUB report (mandatory)
• Completed St. Vincent's Hospital Health Questionaire Health Questionnaire
• Other renal tract imaging reports if relevant

If any of the above information is missing from the referral, our lithotripsy staff will chase the required information through the specific radiology or pathology providers, or liaise directly with the patient to arrange for these if required.

The more of this information that is included in the referral, the sooner your patient will be scheduled for their treatment.

Anaesthetic considerations

Almost all of our patients have either general or spinal anaesthetics. If there is concern about a patient's fitness for anaesthetic, we will arrange for your patient to be assessed at a pre admission clinic appointment.

Follow Up

We offer a follow up clinic appointment for referrals from the Northern and Western Hospitals. This is part of our quality assurance process and allows for ongoing monitoring of our outcomes, including stone clearance rates.

For other referrals, we ensure there is a timely appointment (with appropriate post ESWL imaging) with the referring urologist/hospital.

In addition, we maintain a database of all stents associated with the ESWL service. We follow up with the referring home team to ensure stents have been removed within an appropriate time frame.