Flexible ureteroscopy will replace almost completely ESWL for the treatment of renal stones in few years, even in developing countries. This process is already ongoing and probably is irreversible. Let ́s try to understand how and why this phenomenon is happening. Since the development of the External Shockwave Lithotripsy (ESWL) in the late 70’s (1), it has been the standard treatment for small...

BACKGROUND Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is widely used worldwide to treat kidney stone because it is without invasive and can be done on an outpatient basis. However, not all patients are treated successfully. The success of kidney stone treatment by ESWL depends on several factors. OBJECTIVE To investigate prognostic factors for the successful treatment of kidney stones by ES...

PURPOSE The objective was to determine whether stone density on plain radiography (kidney-ureter-bladder, KUB) could predict the outcome of extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) for ureteral stones. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 223 patients treated by ESWL for radio-opaque ureteral stones of 5 to 20 mm were included in this retrospective study. All patients underwent routine blood a...

To compare the outcomes of flexible ureterorenoscopy (F-URS) with extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) for the treatment of upper or mid calyx kidney stones of 10 to 20 mm. A total of 174 patients with radioopaque solitary upper or mid calyx stones who underwent ESWL or F-URS with holmium:YAG laser were enrolled in this study. Each group treated with ESWL and F-URS for upper or mid caly...

Background and aims Pancreatic extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (P-ESWL) is recommended as the first-line treatment for pancreatic stones. However, how well P-ESWL performs in pediatric patients remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of P-ESWL for pediatric patients with chronic pancreatitis. Methods This prospective observational study was conducted in patients with...

OBJECTIVE To estimate and compare the incidence rate of kidney stone recurrence and regrowth after ESWL with PCNL at one, two, and three years. MATERIAL AND METHOD A retrospective cohort study was performed The study recruited patients aged more than 18 years, diagnosed with kidney stones and treated by ESWL or PCNL between January 2006 and August 2010 at the urological unit of a university h...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the role of mannitol infusion in preventing or ameliorating renal injury that accompanies shock wave lithotripsy as measured by changes in resistive index (RI). METHODS Between February and September 2006, 38 patients (28 men and 10 women) underwent extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) for radiologically documented renal stones in The Surgical Specialties Hospita...

Shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) remains the most common treatment for renal calculi. In this article, recent literature pertaining to ESWL monotherapy of renal calculi was reviewed, with the goal of improving ESWL results through better case selection. When selecting the optimal surgical approach for a patient, multiple factors must be considered. Factors to consider include stone-related factors...

Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) and ureteroscopy (URS) are two main methods of treating proximal ureteric stones. Success rates and cost-effectiveness of the two methods were compared. A total of 67 patients who underwent treatment between January 2007 and July 2007 at a state general hospital were included in the study. The success rate for ESWL group was 81.8% and for URS group wa...

In general, the criteria for the treatment of urolithiasis in children are the same as those for adults. Today, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is the method of choice in the treatment of most pediatric urinary stones. Stone-free rates between 67% and 93% at short-term follow-up, and 57% to 92% at long-term follow-up, have proven the efficacy of ESWL treatment in children. Neverthe...