Intracorporeal lithotripsy with the Swiss lithoclast

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Objective To evaluate the use of the Swiss lithoclast in the management of urinary calculi. Patients and methods Between January and November 1993, 60 patients with a total of 61 urinary calculi were treated with the Swiss lithoclast. Forty patients had a ureteric calculus, two had a ureterocele with a calculus, one a steinstrasse, 16 a vesical stone and two a urethral calculus. Eighty per cent of patients were treated on a day‐care basis. Results Fragmentation of the urinary calculi was successful in 59 of the 60 patients. Both patients with a urethral calculus and 15 of 16 with a vesical calculus were stone‐free after the procedure. All those with a ureteric calculus were stone‐free at 6 weeks. There were no intra‐operative or long‐term complications directly related to the use of the Swiss lithoclast. Conclusion The results of this study show that the Swiss lithoclast is a simple, safe, reliable and economical method of endoscopic lithotripsy for the treatment of urinary tract calculi. Although the lithoclast's use is limited to rigid or semi‐rigid endoscopes there is now a suction facility for the immediate removal of small stone fragments