[Extracorporeal lithotripsy in Spain in the 20th. Century]

In November of 1998, the Spanish Association of Urology decides to carry out a study on the lithotripsy in Spain, through the Group of Work in Lithiasis Urinary, with the objective of knowing the n(o) and distribution of Units and the real situation of the extracorporeal litotripsy for shock waves, in connection with other complementary methods or therapeutic alternatives.

We remit to all the Units of Lithotripsy a record of collection of data: Characteristic of the unit, no. of sick, localization of the calculi, complications, evolution and personal comments.

63 units of lithotripsy have participated in the study, at the moment 3 of them don't work and 23 belong to the Public Sanitary System. The Spanish population belong to 39,848,000 inhabitants, distributed in 17 autonomous communities, there is a lithotripsy unit for each 660,000 Spaniards. 264,875 sick people have been treated, they present synchronous bilateral lithiasis, 18,276 (6.9%) and a new treatment for relapse of calculi has been carried out in 18,592 sick people. The treated calculi are located at renal level in 60% of the cases, ureteral, 39% and vesical, 1%. The expelled, deposited or not expelled lithiasis residue corresponds to 9%, 6.8% and 6% respectively, and to 21.8% in total.

After the analysis of these data, it is observed with evidence that in Spain, each million of inhabitants generate 602 cases of lithiasis/year, susceptible of being treated with shock waves. The distribution of resources decreases the complementary expenses: displacements, derivation temporary urinary, prevention infection urinary, analgesic, etc.