Laser treatment for kidney stones introduced at the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital

A group of young surgeons have introduced laser treatment of kidney stones at the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital.

The group, called Surgical Associates of Guyana, said the technique uses a high intensity laser beam to pulverize stones through an endoscope.

The St. Joseph Mercy Hospital is the first and only hospital in the country with the equipment and expertise to offer this modern method of treatment.

In a statement, the Group said the first case of a kidney stone treated with the laser in Guyana was a 34-year-old female with a 1.1cm stone the kidney.

The patient was successfully treated last Thursday at the St, Joseph Mercy Hospital and was discharged within hours of the procedure.

Traditionally, the doctors say, this would have required an incision on the abdomen, 2-3 days of hospitalization and weeks of convalescence.

The surgery was performed by Dr. Rajendra Sukhraj, a trained specialist urological surgeon.

Surgical Associates said Dr. Sukhraj is highly experienced in treating kidney stones with the laser; he returned to Guyana one year ago after completing a post-graduate degree in Urology at the University of the West Indies.