SIU Medicine urologist Bradley Schwartz, DO, FACS, performs nearly 400 surgeries each year to remove kidney stones from patients. The hard deposits are made from minerals such as calcium, infection or other constituents such as uric acid that collect in the kidneys. They are sometimes small enough to pass naturally, but when they aren’t, they can cause obstruction, discomfort and often, intense pain. For Dr. Schwartz it’s also personal; he has had three stones himself and knows the big problems these little irritants can generate. In the past year, Schwartz has added a novel procedure to his