Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy and ureteroscopic lithotripsy for ureteral stones. A comparative study

From June 1987 to December 1988, 212 cases of ureteral calculi were treated with ESWL and ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URSL) respectively. The lithotriptic success rates of ESWL for upper, mid and distal ureteric stones were 100.0%, 100.0% and 93.4% respectively as compared with 62.5%, 85.7% and 93.7% of URSL. ESWL for upper and mid ureteral stones was obviously superior to URSL (P less than 0.001). The incidence rate of complications of ESWL was lower than that of URSL (P less than 0.05). In the 212 cases, urinary extravasation caused by ureteral injury occurred in 4 cases treated by URSL. We suggest that ESWL should be the first treatment of choice for ureteral calculi and URSL is not recommended for the treatment of upper ureteral calculi, but it may be used as an adjunctive method.     

Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy of the ureteral calculus--clinical results with local shockwave lithotripsy

Second generation local shockwave lithotripsy appliances (Lithostar) were used for the treatment of upper and lower ureteral stones in 199 patients, 145 of whom had upper ureteral stones. In 78 patients the calculi were pushed back and all but one disintegrated. In 33 patients a catheter was inserted past the stone, which resulted of primary disintegration in 66%. In 19 of 34 patients (56%) in whom the stones could not be moved, primary disintegration was achieved. Distal ureteral stones were present in 54 patients and these were treated successfully by ESWL alone in 83.3%. Auxiliary measures (total 10%) included ureteroscopy, percutaneous extraction and ureterolithotomy. The results are discussed under the aspects of 'in situ' versus 'push-and-smash' procedures.     

Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy monotherapy for paediatric urinary tract calculi

The role of extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) in the management of paediatric urinary tract calculi was evaluated. The study group included 22 children (13 male, 9 female) with an age range of 2 to 13 years. The renal calculi, including staghorn and ureteric calculi, varied in size from 0.3 to 5 cm. Overall stone clearance at 3 months was 79% with a low incidence of complications (2 children required nephrostomy drainage for sepsis). ESWL is a non-invasive method of managing even complex stones in children of all ages, irrespective of size or position.     

Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy compared with ureteroscopy for the removal of small distal ureteral stones

INTRODUCTION: The treatment of small distal ureteral stones smaller or equal to 5 mm in size is still highly controversial. In distal ureteral stones larger than 5 mm in size, ureteroscopy (URS) has been shown in many studies to be superior to shockwave lithotripsy (SWL). The objective was to analyze the stone-free rate after treatment of distal ureteral stones with in situ SWL or URS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 3,857 SWL treatments were performed at our institution between 1996 and 2001. During this period 45 in situ SWL procedures were performed with the Dornier MFL 5000 lithotripter on distal ureteral stones regardless of the stone size. A total of 262 URS treatments were performed on distal ureteral stones. URS for small (5 mm or less) distal ureteral stones was performed in 110 cases. RESULTS: Distal ureteral stones smaller or equal to 5 mm in size were treated successfully stone free in 78% in one SWL session. Patients required a second SWL in 14% of the cases and 8% of the patients required a third SWL session. URS patients were successfully stone free after the procedure in 97% of the cases. Failed URS that needed an additional URS were performed in 2 and 1% of the patients had one SWL in situ treatment. CONCLUSIONS: URS treatment has shown to be the therapy of choice for distal ureteral stones. It is more effective than SWL treatment in this stone location. In experienced hands URS is a safe though even more invasive procedure than SWL. This can be expected as urologists perform more than 40 URS procedures per year.     

Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy in anomalous kidneys.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) is accepted as first-line therapy for kidney stones. The aim of this study was to evaluate SWL therapy in patients with congenital urinary system anomalies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 120 patients with congenital urinary system anomalies and kidney stones who underwent SWL treatment were evaluated. Of these patients, 44 (37%) had horseshoe kidneys, 22 (18%) had rotation anomalies, 13 (11%) had pelvic kidneys, and 41 (34%) had ureteral duplications. The mean stone size was 2.09+/-0.71 (range 0.8-4.6) cm2, and a total of 232 sessions (1.93 sessions/patient) were applied. RESULTS: The overall stone-free rate after completion of the SWL treatments was 70% (84 patients). In horse shoe kidneys the stone-free rate was 68%, and sufficient fragmentation was achieved in another 21%. These values were 59% and 32%, respectively, for malrotated kidneys, 54% and 39% for pelvic kidneys, and 83% and 12% for ureteral duplications. The 10 patients in whom SWL treatment remained unsuccessful had horse-shoe kidneys (five cases), malrotated kidneys (two cases), pelvic kidney (one case), and ureteral duplication (two cases). Open surgery was performed in eight patients with renal anomalies, and ureteroendoscopic lithotripsy was performed in two patients with ureteral duplication. CONCLUSION: Shockwave lithotripsy is an effective and reliable treatment method in patients with congenital urinary system anomalies, especially when the stones are <2 cm. Patients with ureteral duplication had the overall best stone-free rates. However, patients who have stones > or =3 cm in horseshoe or malrotated kidneys and duplex systems seem to be better candidates for percutaneous nephrolithotomy or open surgery.     

Extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL) in removal of stones in anomalies of kidney and upper urinary tracts

The authors analyze the results of ESWL (URAT-P unit) for urolithiasis performed in 106 patients (49 females and 57 males) aged 16-67 years with anomalous kidneys and upper urinary tracts. 28, 1, 11, 14, 24, 4, 22 and 2 patients had horseshoe, L-shape, solitary, lumbar distopic, double, sponge, cystic kidneys, congenital megacallicosis, respectively. The stones ranged in size from 7 to 30 mm. Bilateral urolithiasis was in 7 patients. The number of impulses averaged 1745 +/- 168.4 per the procedure. The average number of ESWL procedures per stone was 1.4 (1-4). The stones were completely eliminated after one ESWL session in 78(73.6) patients, after two sessions in 23(21.7%) patients, after three sessions in 4, after for in 1 patient. Complications developed in 18 patients: urinary tract obstruction and attack of acute pyelonephritis (15 and 3 patients, respectively). Within 2-10-year follow-up recurrences arose in 12 patients who were retreated. Thus, ESWL is a method of choice in the treatment of urolithiasis patients with malformations of the kidneys and upper urinary tracts. Good results of ESWL are achieved in strict adherence to principles of the patients' selection, preoperative preparation technique, individual approach to patients in postoperative period, follow-up to detect complications and recurrences.     

Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy or extracorporeal piezoelectric lithotripsy? Comparison of costs and results

One thousand patients with renal stones up to 3 cm in diameter were divided equally into 2 groups matched for age, sex and stone size. One group was treated on the Dornier HM3 lithotriptor and the other on the EDAP LT01. The results showed that for stones less than 1 cm both lithotriptors were equally effective, with a stone-free rate of 87.5% for the Dornier and 90.4% for the EDAP at 3 months. The success rate fell more steeply for the EDAP machine, however, to become 77.2 and 42.5% respectively as the stone size increased to 3 cm. Treatment time was longer on the EDAP lithotriptor and more sessions were required but patients preferred it to the Dornier. Running costs per patient were higher on the EDAP.     

Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy in the pediatric population.

BACKGROUND: Shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) is being used increasingly as a therapeutic modality for childhood urolithiasis. We reported our experience and results of SWL in the pediatric population. METHODS: The 59 renal units (RU) of 54 patients were retrospectively reviewed. The mean patient age was 10+/-3.5 years. All patients were treated with the Lithostar lithotripter in outpatient settings. Those with positive culture results were treated under appropriate antibiotic coverage. Seven patients were treated under general anesthesia and the rest under sedoanalgesia. Shielding of the lung fields or gonads was not used. For the upper pole stones, protection of the lungs was accomplished by elevating the upper half of the body with supportive pillows, thus moving the kidney away from the lung fields. Six RUs were catheterized via double-pigtail ureteral catheters or by percutaneous nephrostomy tube prior to treatment. The average stone load was 1.8+/-2.5 cm2. RESULTS: Patients were treated with an average of 2.5 sessions. A total of 1000 to 2500 shockwaves were delivered between 14.5 and 17.8 kV. Routine spasmolytic treatment was not initiated. The stone-free rate was 64%, and clinically insignificant residual fragments (CIRF) were present in 29% of RUs; thus, the success rate was 93%. Fever that necessitated hospitalization occurred in one patient. No other complications were seen except skin bruising and early hematuria. CONCLUSION: Shockwave lithotripsy is a safe and effective treatment modality for childhood stones of appropriate size and radiologic characteristics.     

Percutaneous debulking of staghorn stones combined with extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy: results and complications

The results and complications of 122 percutaneous debulking of staghorn stones are carefully reviewed, discriminating between dilated and not dilated kidneys. Percutaneous debulking can be defined as satisfactory in about 70% of the cases. In the remaining 30% of the cases (mostly not dilated kidneys) it has got little or no results. The overall complication rate is quite low and most of the common complications can be prevented. Percutaneous procedures in nondilated kidneys have an overall complication rate highly superior to that in dilated kidneys. It should be preferable to treat as many staghorn stones as possible in nondilated kidneys with staged extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) monotherapy, stenting the ureter and monitoring the urinary infection. Struvite stones are best suitable for stented ESWL because of their fragility. In case of cystine or oxalate monohydrate staghorn stone open surgery might be preferable in virgin patients, but it is often refused by the patients.     

Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy of 2000 urinary calculi with the modulith SL-20: success and failure according to size and location of stones

PURPOSE: We analyzed the successes and failures of SWL in the treatment of 2016 urinary calculi stratified according to size and position in the urinary tract. METHODS: All the patients were treated with a Modulith SL-20 (Storz Medical). RESULTS: The overall stone-free rate, regardless of the size and position of the stone, was 87.4%. The rate was different for kidney and ureteral stones. The stone-free rate observed for the different positions of the calculi within the kidney was upper calix 89.2%, middle calix 90.5% lower calix 84.8%, and renal pelvis 86.0%. For staghorn calculi, the stone-free rate was 60.0%. The stone-free rate for the different positions of calculi within the ureter was: upper ureter 84.3%, iliac ureter 82.4%, and pelvic ureter 91.0%. For calculi >24 mm, the retreatment rate increased, and the success rate dropped sharply. CONCLUSION: Extracorporal shockwave lithotripsy should be the first therapeutic option for urinary calculi of <24 mm regardless of their position in the urinary tract.     

Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy and litholytic therapy in cholelithiasis.

Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) and litholytic therapy were used in 100 patients over a period of 16 months. ESWL was carried out with a Lithostar Plus and chenodeoxycholic acid was used as the lytic agent, given until 3 months after complete disappearance of stones. Within a period of 8-12 months, stones disappeared completely in 82 per cent of the patients who had a single stone less than or equal to 20 mm in diameter and in 50 per cent of those with a single stone greater than 20 mm in size or with multiple stones. Complications requiring surgery developed in five patients: three had acute cholecystitis and two developed acute pancreatitis. Of the patients in whom complete stone clearance was achieved, two of 11 followed up developed recurrence of stones 4 months after cessation of lytic therapy.     

Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy under sedoanalgesia for treatment of kidney stones in infants: a single-center experience with 102 cases

Object

We present the efficacy of shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) therapy administered with sedoanalgesia in infants with kidney stones.

Materials and methods

We enrolled 102 patients aged 5–24 months who had kidney stones and received SWL therapy under sedoanalgesia using a Siemens Lithostar Modularis device. Patient and stone characteristics, therapy parameters, pain score, complications, discharge time, and follow-ups were registered and evaluated. Pain score was assessed using a Neonatal Infant Pain Score (NIPS). Postanesthetic discharge scoring system (PADSS) was used for the assessments of postprocedural discharge procedure.

Results

Mean age of the patients was 17.2 ± 6.3 months (5–24 months). Mean stone size was 7.9 ± 3.3 mm (5–23 mm). The most common concomitant metabolic disorders were hypercalciuria and hypocitraturia. The stone-free rates of the infants were 70.6, 87.3, and 99.1 % after the first, second, and third sessions of SWL therapy, respectively. The mean NIPS scores procedure during, and at 1 h after SWL procedure were determined as 0.24 ± 0.45 and 0.34 ± 0.47, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between two pain score values (P = 0.114). The mean discharge time of patients after the SWL procedure were 108.6 ± 27.9 min. Forty-two patients (41.1 %) were followed up. The follow-up period varied between 8 and 48 months (mean 19.5 months); none of those patients showed evidence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, or renal function impairment.

Conclusions

SWL therapy under sedoanalgesia is a safe and efficient treatment modality that can be administered with low complication rates and high stone-free rates in the treatment of renal stones in infants.     

Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy for ureterolithiasis in patients with urinary bilharziasis: efficacy and variables that influence treatment outcome

OBJECTIVES: Schistosomiasis affecting the ureter is commonly accompanied by ureteric dilatation with or without ureteric stricture and altered ureteric wall motility that can influence extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) results. This study attempts to identify variables that may influence the outcome of ESWL in the treatment of ureterolithiasis in patients with urinary bilharziasis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-three patients with urinary schistosomiasis and ureterolithiasis treated with ESWL were reviewed. The study data include characteristics of patients, stones, urinary tract treated and details of ESWL treatment. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients (81.3%) were stone-free at 3 months. Multivariate analysis with logistic regression identified two significant variables that influenced treatment outcome, namely the presence of ureteric stricture (p = 0.004) and the ESWL voltage (p = 0.003). Ten ureteric strictures were encountered in 9 patients (21%), the majority of these were diagnosed post-ESWL when patients failed to pass well-fragmented stones in spite of pre-ESWL evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: In situ ESWL is a safe and effective first line of treatment for urinary stones in bilharzial ureters. The presence of concomitant bilharzial stricture is a significant variable which affects the treatment outcome. Every effort should be made to rule out and deal with possible complicating factors such as ureteric strictures in the pretreatment period.     

Ureteric stents compromise stone clearance after shockwave lithotripsy for ureteric stones: results of a matched-pair analysis

OBJECTIVE

To identify the effect of the presence of a ureteric stent on the outcome of extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL), by comparing patients with ureteric stones with matched‐pair analysis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients undergoing ESWL with the Sonolith Vision lithotripter (Technomed Medical Systems, Vaulx‐en‐Velin, France) were identified from our prospectively maintained database. Only adult patients with a solitary, radio‐opaque, previously untreated ureteric stone were considered for further analysis. A follow‐up of ≥3 months with a plain abdominal film was used to identify residual fragments. Patients were exactly matched for gender, side, location in the ureter and size (in two dimensions, within ±2 mm). If both diameters could not be matched exactly, the size was extended to ±1 mm and then to ±2 mm of both diameters. An effort was finally made to match patients by age. The treatment outcome in terms of stone‐free rates was assessed and compared using McNemar’s test.

RESULTS

In all, 45 patients with a ureteric stent in place during ESWL were identified. The only patient who could not be adequately matched was a 40‐year‐old man with an 8 × 3 mm stone in the upper ureter. The best/closest match for age was selected. Most stones were in the upper ureter (77%); the mean stone size was 8.5 and 8.6 mm, respectively, with no statistical differences between the groups for age and size of stones (P = 0.41 and 0.86, Student’s t‐test). In 12 pairs, only patients with no stent were stone‐free, compared to two pairs where the patient with a stent was stone‐free. Using McNemar’s test, the odds ratio was 6.0 (95% confidence interval 1.3–55.2) and the difference between the groups was statistically significant (P = 0.016).

CONCLUSION

These results show that the presence of a stent is associated with a worse outcome after ESWL for ureteric stones. Ureteric stents should still be used in cases of obstruction, when there is a risk of sepsis, and in patients with intolerable pain or deteriorating renal function. However, their use in patients offered ESWL for ureteric stones should be considered with caution.     

Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy of gallstones: clinical experience with 170 patients.

Between Jan. 19, 1989 and Nov. 23, 1990, 170 patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis were evaluated for possible treatment by extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL). Thirty-one patients were not eligible for treatment, 28 (16%) because of nonvisualization of gallstones by ultrasonography and 3 (2%) because polyps were erroneously diagnosed on ultrasonography. Thirteen (8%) patients failed to comply with the protocol, leaving 126 patients for assessment. At the time of writing, the treatment success rate is 57% at 6 months and 69% at 9 months. Treatment failed in 21 (17%) patients because of unsatisfactory fragmentation in 16 (13%) patients, frequent biliary colic in 3 (2%) patients, acute pancreatitis in 1 (0.8%) patient and severe bile-salt-induced diarrhea in 1 (0.8%) patient. Complications included biliary colic (40 patients), mild diarrhea on bile salts (24 patients), severe diarrhea (1 patient), macroscopic hematuria (4 patients), acute pancreatitis (2 patients) and vagal shock (1 patient). This study demonstrates the effectiveness (87%) of the lithotripter in reducing gallstones to fragments 5 mm in diameter or smaller. However, complete disappearance of these fragments with adjuvant bile-salt therapy may take many months.     

体外冲击波碎石术治疗上尿路尿酸结石

作者采用超声定位的压电晶体式体外冲击波碎石术连续性治疗１２１例上尿路尿酸结石，观察其碎石疗效。肾结石１１２例，共１６７枚，结石长径０．５～３．５ｃｍ，平均０．８６ｃｍ；输尿管结石９例，长径０．６～１．３ｃｍ，平均０．８４ｃｍ。２例输尿管上段结石接受了重定位辅助治疗，其余均采用原位治疗。单次治愈者为８０．９９％，２次者１２．４０％，３次者４．９６％，４次者１．６５％。所有患者术后均未发生严重并发症。作者认为采用超声定位的压电晶体式碎石机治疗尿酸结石是一种较为理想的方法，并侧重探讨了尿酸结石的Ｂ超定位技术、碎石过程中的冲击方法和术后碱性药物的应用。     

Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy of gallstones. Possibilities and limitations.

Recently extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) has been introduced as a nonoperative treatment for gallstone disease. Except for lung damage, no significant adverse effects of ESWL of gallbladder stones have been observed in animals. In clinical use ESWL of gallbladder stones is now confined to 15% to 30% of symptomatic patients. To achieve complete stone clearance, ESWL of gallbladder stones must be supplemented by an adjuvant therapy. ESWL of bile duct stones is highly effective and can be considered in patients in whom primary endoscopic or surgical stone removal fails. Second generation lithotriptors allow anesthesia-free (outpatient) treatments, but the clinical experience with most of these ESWL devices is still limited. The likelihood of gallbladder stone recurrence is a major disadvantage of ESWL treatment, which raises the issue of cost-effectiveness. ESWL for cholelithiasis is a promising treatment modality with good short-term and unknown long-term results.     

Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) and endourology: an ideal combination for the treatment of kidney stones

Summary Operative management of renal calculi has changed radically in the past decade. New imaging techniques for intraoperative stone localization, the use of cooling techniques and drugs to protect renal function, and new operative techniques have even made possible the removal of complete staghorn calculi in short and kidney-preserving procedures. Considerable morbidity, however, still results from conventional renal stone surgery, especially when repeated operations are necessary for recurrent stone disease. Since the introduction of new less invasive methods, such as percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCN) and stone extraction using an especially designed ureteroscope (URS), and above all, since the clinical application of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), policies for stone management have changed completely. A review of 1340 consecutive patients presenting with stones between October 1983 and October 1984 shows that only 7% of all patients with urinary stones — 1% of all renal stones and 15% of all ureteral stones — still required an open operation. Present address: Department of Urology, UCLA School of Medicine, 10833 Le Conte Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA