Treatment will vary slightly from patient to patient. The treatment depends on: the size, type and location of the stone the amount of pain the amount of vomiting If the stone is large or causes severe symptoms, you may need to be hospitalized. If the stone is small or causes only mild symptoms, you can stay home and wait for the stone to pass in the urine. If you stay at home, you will need to drink a lot of water to promote the elimination of the stones. Also, painkillers or medication to promote stone expulsion will be needed. Stones that do not pass on their own can be treated with a machine that uses sound waves to shatter the stones into smaller pieces. This is called “extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy”. This procedure does not require surgery, but can be painful. Through a special procedure, very small holes are made in the skin. During the procedure, the surgeon passes a tiny tool through the hole into the kidney and removes the stone. This is called “percutaneous nephrolithotomy”. A thin catheter is used to enter the body through the urethra. The doctor uses a tool at the end of the catheter to break up or remove the stone. This is called “ureteroscopic lithotripsy”.