Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy: one year experience with the siemens lithostar

Lee, Sung Won; Choo, Myung Soo; Lee, Eun Sik; Lee, Sang Eun; Kim, Si Whang

Abstract

From March l989 to February 1990, 199 patients underwent 269 treatments with second-generation lithotriptor, Siemens Lithostar. This included 122 (61% ) renal calculi. 13 partial staghorn calculi and 77(39%) ureteric calculi. We found that 6.3% of stones were not disintegrated, 14% of the patients had more than one treatment and there was a 10% rate of auxiliary procedures. An overall success rate of 87% was achieved(66.8% of stone free and 20.2% of asymptomatic fragments less than 3mm). The success rate and the number of treatment sessions were 92% and 1.21 for stones less than 3cm in sum of long diameters while 48% and 2.39 for stones more than 3cm or partial staghorn stones. There was statistically significant difference among the success rate according to size but no statistically significant difference according to location. Lithotripsy produced low morbidity and there were no serious complications except one septicemia. Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy is the safe and preferred form of management for renal or ureteral stones less that 3cm in sum or long diameters.