Pinoy undergoes cutting-edge kidney stone removal in UAE

A 44-year-old Filipino was the first beneficiary of a kidney-stone removal using a cutting-edge technique in a hospital in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). According to Dubai, UAE-based Khaleej Times, Baltazar Miana is now recovering well after undergoing the procedure, called the percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), at Ras Al Khaimah Hospital. Miana’s first physician in Dubai had first opted for a laser treatment for him, the report quoted Miana as saying. But since a laser treatment would mean frequent trips to his physician, Miana went to another hospital, Ras Al Kaimah, to seek another opinion on what surgical procedure seemed convenient for him. Miana said he could not afford to be absent from work so he had to look for the best alternative. Dr. DR Thakar, Miana’s physician, is a UK-trained urologist with nearly three decades of experiencing spanning several geographies. PCNL is a procedure which involves passing a fiber-optic instrument through the patient’s kidney to remove medium-sized and large kidney stones. The procedure uses an ultrasonic or laser probe to break up the large kidney stones, and the pieces are suctioned out with a scope. A nephrostomy tube drains the kidney of urine. During the procedure, the surgeon inserts a needle through the patient’s lower back directly into the kidney. — JE/VS, GMANEws.TV