Kidney stone care at Mayo Clinic
Your Mayo Clinic care team
Mayo Clinic specialists from several areas work as a team to diagnose and treat your kidney stone disease. Mayo Clinic urologists and urologic surgeons work closely with doctors in nephrology, radiology and nutrition to ensure that you receive the most comprehensive care possible.
Advanced diagnosis
Mayo Clinic has the expertise and technology to effectively diagnose and treat all types of kidney stones. For instance, Mayo doctors often use high-speed or spiral dual energy computerized tomography (CT) to scan the abdomen — an imaging technology that's often not available at other centers. This test can help determine what type of stone you have to help guide the appropriate treatment.
Treatment pioneers
Mayo Clinic uses the latest technology to treat kidney stones, including minimally invasive techniques performed using small incisions or natural openings. Mayo urologists have extensive experience in performing percutaneous nephrolithotomy — a surgical procedure to remove large kidney stones.
Nationally recognized expertise
Mayo Clinic doctors are leaders in the treatment and prevention of kidney stones. Mayo Clinic's campuses in Rochester, Minnesota, and Jacksonville, Florida, have dedicated kidney stone clinics staffed by nephrologists who specialize in kidney stone prevention. Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minnesota, also has a group class run by a stone dietician to educate people with kidney stones about appropriate stone prevention diets. Mayo Clinic's Arizona campus has a multidisciplinary kidney stone clinic staffed by a nephrologist, a urologist and a dietician who work together to provide integrated advice and treatment for people with kidney stones.
Care focused on you
Mayo Clinic team members collaborate closely in planning each individual's care. This collaboration means your appointments will be coordinated and your test results will be available quickly. Evaluation and treatment that might take months elsewhere can typically be done in only a matter of days at Mayo Clinic.
Expertise and rankings
Experience and expertise
Mayo Clinic doctors are leaders in the treatment and prevention of kidney stones. Mayo Clinic has a nationally and internationally recognized program dedicated to kidney stone treatment and removal. Mayo Clinic doctors treat more than 9,600 people with kidney stones every year.
Mayo Clinic's comprehensive, multidisciplinary kidney stone program is designed for people who have any type of renal stone disease — from simple to complex — and uses the latest technology available for stone removal including extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), ureteroscopy with laser fragmentation of stones and percutaneous nephrolithotomy.
Mayo Clinic developed many of the tools now regularly used during percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Mayo Clinic urologists were among the first to perform ureteroscopic stone removal and were instrumental in refining and improving the procedure.
Research leader
Mayo Clinic doctors and researchers actively study kidney stone causes, risk factors, prevention, diagnostic tests and treatment options and conduct clinical trials. Mayo Clinic is a member of the NIH-sponsored Urinary Stone Disease Research Network.
Locations, travel and lodging
Mayo Clinic has major campuses in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Rochester, Minnesota. The Mayo Clinic Health System has dozens of locations in several states.
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Costs and insurance
Mayo Clinic works with hundreds of insurance companies and is an in-network provider for millions of people.
In most cases, Mayo Clinic doesn't require a physician referral. Some insurers require referrals or may have additional requirements for certain medical care. All appointments are prioritized on the basis of medical need.
Learn more about appointments at Mayo Clinic.
Please contact your insurance company to verify medical coverage and to obtain any needed authorization prior to your visit. Often, your insurer's customer service number is printed on the back of your insurance card.