Patients with kidney stones are benefiting from a new technology at the James Cook University Hospital in Britain. Over 200 patients have benefited from the procedure known as lithotripsy, which helps patients get rid of kidney stones with minimal pain.

Lithotripsy crushes kidney stones while they are still in the body without requiring any surgical incisions. It uses harmless directed shock waves that move through the body, breaking up the kidney stones in their path. An X-ray monitor is used to direct the waves at the stones, which are broken up into fine sand like particles and then excreted through the urine.

The lithotripter system is used when kidney stones are painful, causing a blockage, or resulting in kidney damage. The system has a 94% success rate and most patients require only one treatment. This technology is a huge breakthrough for the treatment of kidney stones, which affect many people.