Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy of ureteral stones: clinical experience using a second generation lithotripter

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) has proven to be effective for the treatment of renal calculi. However, its use for ureteral stones as monotherapy is controversial. In this study, 142 patients underwent in situ ESWL for ureteral stones. Stone fragmentation was achieved in 87.4% of the patients. Stone clearance rate at 3 months was 95.8%, 94.7%, and 94.2% for stones located in upper, middle, and lower ureter, respectively. Efficiency quotient calculated for the overall stone clearance at 15 days, 1 month, and 3 months was 74.6, 71.8, and 71.7, respectively. Treatment was performed in 82.5% of patients as an outpatient procedure. Our data show that in situ monotherapy is an effective and noninvasive method for treating ureteral stones.