[The removal of calculi from the pelvic ureter by extracorporeal lithotripsy]

Using high-energy impulses from Dornier HM-3 lithotriptor, iliac ureteroliths were crushed in 18 patients for the period of 2.5 years. The mean age of the patients was 38 years. The lithotripsy was in all cases preceded by retrograde catheterization. Reposition of the stones was achieved in 6 patients. Prone-position lithotripsy was conducted in 12 patients. Specially designed support cushions helped to keep the patient in a steady position, speeded up the stones excretion, relaxed knee joints and reduced the exposure to the impulses. All the patients underwent antiinflammatory and spasmolytic therapy. The mean hospital stay reached 3.2 days. Good results were reported in 94.1% of those treated. Neither early nor long-term complications arose.