[Experience of extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy for the urolithiasis in horseshoe kidney]

At Osaka City University, 1,987 patients with urolithiasis have been treated by extra-corporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) during a four-year period. We treated 5 patients with horseshoe kidney and the obtained results were analyzed retrospectively. Three of these patients, who had a solitary stone could successfully be treated by ESWL as monotherapy. One who had multiple stones required transurethral lithotripsy after ESWL due to stone-street. The remaining 1 patient who had undergone heminephrectomy developed perirenal hematoma after ESWL, which spontaneously disappeared without any specific treatment. We discuss the special care related to the use of ESWL in the horseshoe kidney.