Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) for Kidney Stone Treatment

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) is a non-invasive treatment for kidney stones that uses sound waves to pulverize kidney stones within the body. ESWL is performed in an outpatient setting and the entire procedure is performed on the outside of the body.

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) is the application of sound waves to pulverize stones within the body from outside the body.

ESWL was a revolutionary technology that was introduced to the treatment of kidney stones in the 1980s.

Before its introduction, stones were removed through incisions, which were far more invasive. The original ESWL devices utilized a water bath to transmit the sound waves to the body, but now lithotripters are far smaller. Now, they are typically mobile devices that use gel pads placed against the body for shock wave transmission.

ESWL for Ureteral Stones

ESWL can be used for ureteral stones but is far more efficacious for stones that reside in the kidney. Now, ureteroscopy has supplanted ESWL as the most commonly performed procedure for ureteral stones and delivers a high success rate. However, ESWL is typically performed without a ureteral stent, so some patients will still choose this approach over ureteroscopy despite a lower success rate.

What To Expect From Your ESWL Procedure

ESWL is usually done in an outpatient surgical center setting, as is done by the surgeons at Urologic Surgeons of Washington. The procedure requires anesthesia and takes approximately 45 minutes. Patients will wake up with little pain.

With a typical stone sized between 5-10 mm in the kidney, one can expect an approximately 90% success rate. Occasionally the stone will not fragment, will fragment but will not move, or a fragment will become impacted in the ureter. Such patients may require a subsequent procedure to become stone free. Occasionally in the setting of a large stone, a second ESWL is offered.

There is often bruising over the flank/kidney that was treated. Blood in the urine almost always occurs and should be of little concern.

Risks of ESWL

Complications with a lithotripsy are rare but do occur. There can be bleeding around the kidney, especially if the patient has a history of taking blood thinners or has out of control hypertension, infection, obstruction due to a fragment, or failure of the procedure.

Pain after a lithotripsy typically suggests good fragmentation and stone passage. Here, as long as the pain is tolerable, one should just wait a day or two for the stones to pass. Otherwise, If you are experiencing an emergency that cannot be accommodated by an office visit the same or the next business day in either of our locations, please dial 911 or go to your nearest or favorite emergency room and ensure that Dr. Engel or Dr. Tobon are contacted to take part in your care. As a reminder, USW physicians have privileges at Reston Hospital Center, Holy Cross Hospital Silver Spring, and Holy Cross Hospital Germantown.

Your doctor will ask you to return at a predetermined interval with a radiographic study to determine the success or failure of the ESWL. You will be asked to bring your CD of that study to your visit.