Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for renal calculi: Current status and future aspects

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Abstract
Summary. More than 10 years after its clinical introduction, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) has proved to be the safest treatment modality for more than 90% of urinary stones. Absolute contraindications are untreated coagulopathy, urinary tract infection and pregnancy. After careful preparation, even patients with severe coagulopathy (haemophiliacs A/B, thrombocytopenia) can be treated successfully by ESWL. Shock wave lithotripsy for an increasing amount of small symptomatic renal calculi resulted in a stone-free rate of 50% and a complaint-free rate of 52%. A 50% chance of success justifies initial ESWL treatment for stones in caliceal diverticula. A stone-free rate of 70% was reported for stone-bearing horseshoe kidneys, but the recurrence rate was 29%. Therefore, percutaneous stone removal may become necessary in such cases. The utilization of indwelling stents has contributed to the extension of indication for ESWL monotherapy, even for staghorn calculi, as acute morbidity is reduced. Double-J stents, however, do not improve the stone-free rate and special attention should be paid to double-J morbidity. Depending on stone localization, post-ESWL long-term stone-free rates are 58–84% with a recurrence rate of 6–11 % and despite persisting fragments, the infection rate is low. The main features of third generation lithotripters are a combined localization system allowing interdisciplinary shock wave lithotripsy, a wide energy range of the shock wave source resulting in an efficacy similar to that of the Dornier HM3 and integration of the shock wave source and fluoroscopy unit in an endoscopic treatment table for multifunctional use. Finally, a modified version of the Clayman-Preminger efficacy quotient for clinical comparison of different lithotripters, is outlined.