Purpose: Shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) has been considered a mainstay of therapy for renal calculi for the last 20 years. The aim of this review is to summarize suggestions for optimising techniques, patient selection, results, and complication.
Materials and Methods: Literature search for SWL was performed with the Medline database in English language.
Results: Recent articles on SWL has contained the expectation of stone fragmentation after SWL, guidelines from urologic associations, the changes of how to perform SWL (rate, power, and procedure), the role of co-administered medications (anti-oxidants, alpha blocker, and antibiotics), the unusual cases with SWL (caliceal stones, pregnancy, CRF, and kidneys with abnormal anatomy), and the methods to reduce complication.
Conclusions: SWL is still considered the first option, but lots of trials to improve the outcomes and efficacy of SWL have been performed or are ongoing. With further research, improvements in lithotriptor design and advanced techniques will result in higher treatment success rates with reduced renal trauma and improved patient comfort.
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