[Chronic obstructive renal lithiasis. Extracorporeal lithotripsy or percutaneous renal surgery? Analysis of 2 series]

Experience has demonstrated that obstructive renal calculi with inferior infundibulocaliceal dilatation is not an indication for extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy due to a high incidence of residual fragments in the lower calyx. These fragments are generally not spontaneously passed and become compact and form a new stone. We analyzed two groups of patients: 56 had been submitted to ESWL, and 53 to PCN. The results show that for obstructive renal lithiasis with dilatation of the lower calyx treatment is by percutaneous renal surgery first. This approach permits doing an ESWL procedure if stone fragments are observed in the early post-PCN radiologic work up. Similarly, if ESWL as monotherapy fails, we can resort to PCN.