Joseph W. Segura, 66; Urologist Advanced Kidney Stone Treatment

Joseph W. Segura, 66, a Mayo Clinic urologist who made many advances in the treatment of kidney stones, died May 23 at his home in Rochester, Minn., of mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the chest.

Segura was an international leader in endourology, the medical specialty of using small optical devices in the treatment of kidney stones and other urologic disorders. His specialty was treating kidney stones with minimally invasive methods, particularly through inserting a tiny camera into the kidney through the urethra or a small incision in the back.

Previously, surgery for kidney stones required an 8- to 10-inch incision and a hospital stay of a week or more. With Segura’s advances, the size of the incision was reduced to a quarter-inch, and patients were back on their feet the following day.

He also developed the Segura basket, a receptacle for retrieving stones from the kidney without requiring them to pass painfully through the urinary tract.

Segura, a native of Little Rock, Ark., taught in the urology department at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Minnesota for more than 30 years.