Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for urolithiasis. Experience with 3000 patients

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) has dramatically changed the current therapeutic spectrum for urolithiasis and is currently the frontline modality for most upper tract calculi. We report our experiences of treating 3000 patients of urinary calculus disease with shock wave therapy on the Siemens Lithostar at our institution. There were 1350 patients with ureteric stones and 73 had vesical calculi. 20.2% patients had recurrent stones and 25.6% had associated medical disorders. The calculus size varied from 4-115 mm. 81 patients had coexisting congenital upper tract anomalies and 84 had a solitary kidney. General anesthesia was required in 4.1%. Pre ESWL auxiliary procedures were necessary in 96.4% with JJ stenting in 2852 patients. The overall 6-month stone free rate was 86.8% with major complication rate of 0.8%.