Chesapeake Urology’s Ambulatory PCNL Program Surpasses 1,000 cases, Leading the Nation in Advanced, Outpatient Treatment for Large Kidney Stones

May 5, 2021

OWINGS MILLS, Md., May 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — As a national and international leader in ambulatory percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), Chesapeake Urology’s Advanced Kidney Stone Program recently surpassed 1,000 cases of this intricate outpatient surgical procedure for the removal of complex kidney stones, the highest number of such procedures in the country. Led by internationally renowned kidney stone specialist, Julio Davalos, M.D., Chesapeake Urology’s program was the first in the world to perform PCNL safely and effectively as an outpatient surgery in a free standing ambulatory surgical center in 2015. Since then, Dr. Davalos and his team continue to be leaders in ambulatory and outpatient PCNL surgery in the U.S., and globally.

PCNL and particularly tubeless PCNL have become the standard treatment for removing large, complex kidney stones in Dr. Davalos’ practice. In fact, he is one of the pioneers of the tubeless PCNL procedure and performs most of these surgeries as an outpatient procedure in a Chesapeake Urology Summit Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC). In 2021, the ambulatory PCNL program (ASC PCNL) will expand to Chesapeake Urology’s Towson, MD ASC with Meagan Dunne, M.D., who is completing her endourology fellowship with the University of Maryland and Chesapeake Urology program led by Dr. Davalos. Another former endourology fellow, Julio Chong, M.D., will be launching the ambulatory PCNL program at Colorado Urology, a United Urology affiliate.

Dr. Davalos stated, “We are on track to perform more than 500 PCNLs this year with plans to exceed 750 PCNLs in 2022, solidifying our practice as global leaders in this intricate kidney stone surgery.”

He added, “At present, our program is the highest volume PCNL center in this hemisphere and Europe. My goal is to exceed 1,000 PCNL cases annually across all United Urology Group practices nationwide over the next two years to become a world leader in PCNL volumes. These incredible accomplishments wouldn’t be possible without the support of our entire organization, our staff, and our referring physicians.”

What is PCNL?

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is a minimally invasive and innovative surgical procedure to remove large kidney stones that cannot pass naturally through the urinary tract. While most surgeons rely on an interventional radiologist to locate the kidney stone(s) and then insert a tube through the skin and into the kidney, Dr. Davalos has refined a special method to gain his own renal access with precision, utilizing CT imaging and real-time fluoroscopy and ultrasound mapping techniques. Unlike the placement of a nephrostomy tube in traditional kidney stone surgery, Dr. Davalos’ technique ensures the most accurate placement of the tube for the most successful removal of the kidney stone. His procedure is also performed at the same time as the PCNL procedure so that patients do not have to go through two separate procedures – one to place a tube, and another to remove the stone.

Pioneering the Groundbreaking Tubeless PCNL Surgery

In nearly every case, Dr. Davalos has found through his extensive training and research that this nephrostomy tube, which is often a source of great discomfort for patients, is not necessary. Dr. Davalos and his team are leaders in the tubeless PCNL technique, which is performed as a PCNL surgery but eliminates the need for the drainage tube altogether. Patients go home the same day with no tube left in the kidney, resulting in an easier and quicker recovery.

To date, Dr. Davalos and the Advanced Kidney Stone Program at Chesapeake Urology have performed more than 2,500 PCNL and over 1,500 tubeless PCNL surgeries.

Learn more about Ambulatory PCNL and the innovations available to patients with large kidney stones. Visit https://www.drjuliodavalos.com/.

About Chesapeake Urology:

Chesapeake Urology, an affiliate of United Urology Group, is a fully integrated urology practice providing a comprehensive array of urologic services to its patients, including clinical trials. The Company operates 25 medical offices and 18 AAAHC-certified ambulatory surgery centers in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford, Howard, Carroll, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Wicomico, Worcester counties in Maryland, Baltimore City, and Sussex County, Delaware, and has a staff of more than 900 including more than 85 physicians. Chesapeake Urology has been named one of the top places to work in healthcare nationally by Modern Healthcare magazine and Becker’s ASC Review, and locally by the Baltimore Sun, Baltimore magazine, and the Baltimore Business Journal. For additional information, please visit ChesapeakeUrology.com.