[The treatment of kidney and ureteral stones using a second-generation kidney stone lithotriptor]

In January 1988 a Siemens Lithostar lithotriptor was installed in the Radboud University Hospital in Nijmegen. Over 1600 treatments have been performed since. The results of 582 treatments of the first 500 patients are discussed. After three months 51.3% of the patients were free of stones. After six months this percentage was 64.5 and in addition 25.4% of the patients were free of symptoms although residual particles were still present. In only 10.1% of the patients did the ESWL treatment not succeed. In over 50% of the cases treatment was performed on an outpatient basis. Among 90% of the patients in whom treatment was performed without auxiliary procedures only 50% needed i.v. sedation or analgesia. The other 50% did not need any form of sedation or analgesia. Major complications did not occur although 376 patients (75.2%) suffered from a short period of haematuria and many patients had a skin lesion. With the possibility of outpatient treatment, the use of less anaesthesia and a success rate of 89.9% (residual stones, less than 5 mm in diameter, which can be evacuated spontaneously) after six months, the Lithostar is an improvement in the treatment of urolithiasis.