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OVERVIEW
Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) was introduced in the early 1980s as a completely noninvasive therapy to break up stones within the
kidney and ureter. The Department of Urology at the University of Florida was one of six sites within the United States to investigate the efficacy of
ESWL lead by Dr. Birdwell Finlayson, a world renowned expert in stone disease.
ESWL accomplishes stone fragmentation by utilizing shock waves generated by a sophisticated spark plug electrode housed within a lithotripter device.
These shock waves are generated by the lithotripter outside of the human body and the energy generated travels through the body converging onto the
stone resulting in fragmentation. The resulting tiny fragments then pass out of the urinary system over the course of several weeks. This obviates the
need for surgical incisions or invasive devices required to break up and extract these stones. ESWL, however, is only used in select stones in the kidney
and ureter and therefore is not applicable for all stone types or locations.
OUR SURGEONS
At the University of Florida Department of Urology, ESWL treatment is performed by three experienced surgeons, Drs. Marc S. Cohen, Benjamin K.
Canales, and Robert C. Newman.
Marc S. Cohen, MD
Robert C. Newman, MD
Assistant Professor
Professor
Professor
APPOINTMENTS
To schedule an appointment with one of our surgeons, please contact the Shands Medical Plaza Urology Clinic at 352-265-8240. For more information,
directions to the Medical Plaza and local accommodations please visit: http://urology.ufl.edu/urocare_appointment.php
EKG (electrocardiogram)
CBC (complete blood count)
PT / PTT (blood coagulation profile)
THE PROCEDURE
For the vast majority of patients, ESWL is performed on an out-patient basis with no need for hospital admission following the procedure. ESWL
procedures typically last approximately one hour. ESWL can be performed either under general anesthesia or under intravenous sedation. Once the
patient is anesthetized, the lithotripter machine is positioned in contact with the patients flank on the side of the stone. A series of up to 2,000 shock
waves are delivered to fragment the stone. ESWL is performed under Xray guidance to accurately target the stone in efforts to maximize stone
fragmentation while minimizing adjacent organ injury. On occasions, a ureteral stent may be required to dilate the ureter, avoid stone obstruction, and
facilitate stone passage down to the bladder.
Potential Risks and Complications
Although ESWL has proven to be very safe over decades of use and experience, there are potential risks that patients must be aware of which include:
Bleeding and Transfusion: A small amount of bleeding will occur as a result of ESWL and often manifests by visible blood in the urine following
the procedure. Rarely, bleeding can occur in and around the kidney (called a hematoma) that may require a transfusion. Nevertheless,
transfusion rates for ESWL are generally <1%.
Infection: Although patients receive a dose of intravenous antibiotic immediately prior to ESWL, occasional infections within the urinary system
can occur resulting in high fevers and chills. Although most infections are treated successfully with oral antibiotics, in rare cases patients may
require readmission to the hospital for intravenous antibiotics.
Adjacent Tissue / Organ Injury: Although uncommon, injury to surrounding skin, tissue, nerves, muscles and organs (liver, spleen, small and
large intestines, pancreas, and kidney) may occur following ESWL. Most injuries are minor, resolve spontaneously and require no further
intervention.
Ineffective/Incomplete Stone Fragmentation: Although ESWL has proven to be an effective treatment for kidney and ureteral stones, the
success of ESWL is dependent upon many variables including the size and especially the composition of the stone. All stones are made of
slightly different composition, which may impact on the density of the stone and hence responsiveness to ESWL fragmentation. Other factors
that affect ESWL success are the location of the stone within the urinary tract, function of the affected kidney, medical condition of the patient,
time since ESWL treatment and the ability to accurately target the stone during ESWL treatment. For some stones, multiple ESWL treatments
may be required to adequately fragment the stone. Unfortunately in some cases the stone may be resistant to fragmentation with ESWL despite
multiple attempts.
Steinstrasse: Steinstrasse, or an accumulation of a large number of unpassable stone fragments within the ureter, occurs in 1-4% of patients
who undergo SWL, increasing to 5-10% for stones >2 cm in size, and up to 40% in patients with partial staghorn calculi.
Diabetes/Hypertension: New onset hypertension, primarily diastolic, is a potential consequence of SWL, with the development likely being dose
dependent. Despite multiple retrospective reports, three prospective randomized trials in this area failed to demonstrate SWL-mediated changes
in blood pressure. In a recent retrospective, case-control study, development of diabetes and hypertension was found to be higher in patients
who underwent SWL in 1985 (odds ratio of 3.23 and 1.47 respectively) than in control patients who were treated conservatively. Despite the
study limitations and methodologic biases, the results of this analysis must be viewed as significant potential long-term complications of SWL,
and patients should be counseled appropriately.
Flank Pain: Most patients experience some degree of discomfort for a day or two after ESWL. The pain is usually described as a dull ache or
soreness over the kidney or flank area, and is typically at its worst the evening following surgery. The pain lessens over the following days.
Blood in Urine: It is normal to see visible blood in the urine for days to several weeks after surgery. It is important during this time of bleeding
that you avoid strenuous activity, blood thinning medications, and drink plenty of fluid.
Fevers: Low grade fevers are not uncommon following any surgical procedure and anesthesia. If you have fevers >101o F, please notify your
surgeon or call 352-265-0111 and ask to be connected to the urologist on call.
Worsening pain over the ensuing days following ESWL procedure. If this pain continues to escalate despite the use of oral pain medication, this
may indicate obstruction of the kidney from a large stone fragment lodged within the ureter, hematoma around the kidney or infection of the
kidney.
Large amounts of blood clots in the urine that may lead to difficulty with voiding and fully emptying the bladder.
Fevers >101o F may indicate a serious infection within the urinary tract.
Nausea and vomiting