[Subcapsular hematoma of the liver after extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy]

We experienced a case of a hepatic subcapsular hematoma after extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) for a right renal stone. To our knowledge this presentation is the second case in the Japanese literature. A 63-year-old female with a right renal stone received 2,800 shots of 14.0 kilo-volts shockwave with Sonolith 3,000. Preoperative examination of the blood disclosed no abnormalities in the coagulating system except slight reduction of platelet count and slight impairment of liver function. Postoperative routine ultrasound echograms revealed a hepatic subcapsular hematoma although she had no symptom. The size of the hematoma measured 11.0 x 5.0 cm in computed tomograms (CT). She was carefully observed without any treatments because the hematoma did not increase in size. CT scans 6 months after the ESWL treatment demonstrated neither hematoma nor masses in the liver. As a complication of ESWL for urolithiasis a hepatic subcapsular hematoma is very rare. We herein presented the case and discussed the complications of ESWL briefly in the literature.