Etymed
nephrostolithotomy
Definition
Surgical procedure to remove kidney stones through an opening in the kidney
Clinical context
A 45-year-old patient presents with severe flank pain and hematuria. Imaging reveals a large kidney stone in the renal pelvis that is too big to pass spontaneously. The urologist performs nephrostolithotomy to directly access and remove the stone through a percutaneous approach. The patient's pain resolves immediately after stone removal, and urine analysis confirms the stone's composition as calcium oxalate.
Mnemonic
Nephrostolithotomy = Nephro (kidney) + litho (stone) + tomy (surgical removal)