Do anxiety, stress, or depression have any impact on pain perception during shock wave lithotripsy?

The most important adverse effect during shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) is pain perception. In this study, we evaluated the effect of anxiety, stress, and depression on pain perception during SWL.

From November 2013 to December 2014, 189 consecutive patients undergoing SWL for kidney stones were evaluated prospectively. Patient characteristics (age, sex, body mass index [BMI], urologic intervention history, the presence of a double-j catheter, and stone-related parameters) were also recorded. Anxiety, stress, and depression states were assessed before the first procedure using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS-42), which is a self-report scale. The degree of pain perception was evaluated with a 10-point Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at the end of the first SWL session.

There were no statistically significant differences in terms of VAS scores during SWL between patients with and without anxiety, stress, or depression (p >0.05). Furthermore, no statistically significant relationships were found between VAS scores and patient age, sex, side of the stone, presence of a double-j stent, number of stones, and SWL experience (p >0.05).

According to our findings, anxiety, stress, or depression seemed to have no impact on pain perception during SWL.