People who have had kidney stones will tell you that it’s one of the most painful conditions they have ever experienced. Kidney stones are calcifications that form in the kidneys. These stones can travel down the tubes that drain the kidneys, called the ureters. Larger stones can exceed the thickness of the ureter and cause extreme pain as they squeeze their way down the tubes. Nearly 10% of the U.S. population will develop kidney stones in their lifetime. Kidney stones are also called nephrolithiasis or renal calculi. The providers at Wisconsin Institute of Urology offer the most advanced treatment options to treat kidney stones, including extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), ureteroscopy, and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL).