Medical management is available to aid in the passing of some stones and for ongoing management of stones. One type of medication, known as alpha blockers, can be prescribed to help pass certain kidney stones by relaxing the muscles in the ureter. Other medications include oral alkalinization used to increase urine pH for uric stones and hypercalciuria for calcium stones. As kidney stones have a rate of recurrence of up to 50% at 5 years, surveillance with imaging modalities is necessary to ensure treatment success or to guide further changes to the treatment plan. UCLA's Stone Treatment Center has state-of-the-art operating rooms that are equipped with the latest technology including ultra-thin flexible and rigid ureteroscopes, high depth digital imaging, and a variety of lasers including Greenlight PVP. UCLA’s urologists are fellowship trained and perform high volume weekly caseloads. As a result, UCLA has a reputation for successful management of difficult stones, and many of our patients are able to go home within an hour or two after surgery.