Dr. Deepak Agarwal Showcases Robotic Innovation for Kidney Stone Surgery on KSTP

Kidney stones affect nearly one in ten people during their lifetime and are among the most common—and painful—conditions in urology. For patients with large or complex stones, percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is often the preferred treatment. The procedure begins with the technically demanding step of percutaneous access—placing a needle into the kidney with precision. This step is critical to success but can be difficult to perform consistently. 

Dr. Deepak Agarwal is helping shape the future of kidney stone treatment. As an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School and urologist at M Health Fairview, he recently became the second surgeon in the world to use the Focalist™ for kidney stone surgery. This handheld robotic guidance system combines real-time ultrasound guidance with handheld robotics to enable more precise and reproducible percutaneous access. For patients, this translates into safer, more effective kidney stone surgery and better access to advanced minimally invasive care. 

KSTP stopped by the M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center - West Bank for a demonstration of the device to learn more about its use and highlight the significance of this milestone.