[Does extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy injure the female reproductive tract?]

Female reproductive tract lies near the distal ureter where extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) of calculi is performed. The question whether ESWL may induce morphological changes in ovary, tube or uterus should be investigated in animal experiments. The female reproductive system of 28 Wistar rats was exposed to 600 or 1200 shock waves. After 24 hours or 35 days the animals were sacrificed and examined by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Acute after ESWL 2/14 rats revealed minimal subcapsular bleeding in the ovaries. SEM showed a desquamation of superficial cells and a loss in microvilli. In long-term groups there was no morphological lesion. Besides the correlation between healthy and atretic follicles were unchanged. In animal experiment no sign of long lasting changes in female reproductive tract after ESWL could be observed.