Gallstone clearance: a randomized study of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy and chemical dissolution

Following extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy it is not known whether gallstone fragments are cleared from the gallbladder without the use of oral dissolution therapy. To assess the efficacy of lithotripsy and dissolution therapy, alone or in combination, 35 patients were randomized to one of three treatment groups: lithotripsy alone, dissolution therapy alone or combined lithotripsy and dissolution therapy. All patients had symptomatic gallstones, functioning gallbladders and comparable stone profiles. Lithotripsy was administered using a piezoelectric lithotripter. Dissolution therapy consisted of combined bile acid and terpene. Clearance was assessed at 6 months using ultrasound and oral cholecystography. Patients with less than 50 per cent stone clearance at the end of 6 months were considered failures. The number of patients with total or partial clearance in the combined group (7/10) was significantly greater than those in the lithotripsy alone group (0/10, P less than 0.002). Gallstone clearance following lithotripsy appears to be dependent upon dissolution therapy.