Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy for the treatment of ureteral stones : a Critique on Success rate

In nowadays Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (SWL) is one of the most accepted and minimally invasive therapeutic options for the treatment of urinary stones. Unfortunately, till date, only a handful studies have regarded the extrusion rate of stones located in the middle and lower part of the ureter via SWL. We evaluated the success rate of this procedure in the treatment of ureteral calculi by conducting a descriptive study carried out through the analysis of the files and radiographs of 191 patients with urolithiasis who underwent lithotripsy.. Success rates were recorded on the basis of the location of stones which were as follows: 89.4% with urolithiasis in the upper part of the ureter responded to one session of lithotripsy. The success rate in those with calculi located in the middle and the lower part of the ureter was 90.9% and 88.1%, respectively. Gross hematuria and pyelonephritis were observed in 90.05% and 2.61% of patients, respectively