Board-certified veterinary internal medicine specialist Joseph Bisignano, DVM, has dedicated his professional life to ensuring optimal animal health. Throughout his career, he has served in multiple key roles and led procedures such as colonoscopy, endoscopy, foreign-body removal, and cystoscopy. The department head of internal medicine at Metropolitan Animal Speciality Hospital, Joseph Bisignano, DVM, specializes in the treatment of calcium oxalate bladder stones using minimally invasive procedures.
Calcium oxalate is a type of bladder stone in which crystals bind to form a stone that can rub against the bladder wall or cause infections. The stones can also inhibit the flow of urine from the bladder. The major causes of bladder stones have been identified as dietary, genetic, and urinary tract infections. Doctors can treat calcium oxalate with the following minimally invasive options:
- Cystoscopic guided removal
In this process, a video camera with a “basket” is inserted into the body via an external urethral opening to track and remove stones. This procedure is ideal for removing small stones.
- Laser lithotripsy
Also used to treat bladder stones in humans, this process uses a laser to break stones into smaller fragments to facilitate easier removal.
- Voiding urohydropropulsion (VUH)
This procedure uses a catheter to inject saline into the bladder, which doctors squeeze to drain small stones.
- Percutaneous cystolithotomy (PCCL)
In this procedure, doctors create a tiny incision in the abdomen and then into the bladder to facilitate the removal of stones. This is often an outpatient procedure.
