[Medical complications of extracorporeal lithotripsy]

Abstract

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is one of the most frequently applied procedures for the treatment of urolithiasis. ESWL breaks and splits stones by the means of repeated acoustic shock waves. Despite its non invasive nature, ESWL has been intuitively associated with potential complications, mostly related to residual stone fragments. While non stone-related complications are rare (< 1 %), awareness and identification of these complications could help clinicians to prevent and manage them safely and effectively. The current study reviews the pathophysiology, predicting factors and possible preventive measures of non stone-related medical complications after ESWL.