ESWL prediction of outcome and failure prevention

Based on our own experiences and a review of the recent literature, this article evaluates recent developments in predicting outcomes and failures of shockwave lithotripsy when treating patients with urinary tract stones. After a detailed MEDLINE research, the authors identified several variables that influence and predict extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) success. These variables may be categorized as stone variables, patient variables and operator variables. Only multivariate analysis on a large number of homogenous patients may offer an objective evaluation of the factors conditioning ESWL outcome.