Purpose: We analyzed the successes and failures of SWL in the treatment of 2016 urinary calculi stratified according to size and position in the urinary tract.
Methods: All the patients were treated with a Modulith SL-20 (Storz Medical).
Results: The overall stone-free rate, regardless of the size and position of the stone, was 87.4%. The rate was different for kidney and ureteral stones. The stone-free rate observed for the different positions of the calculi within the kidney was upper calix 89.2%, middle calix 90.5% lower calix 84.8%, and renal pelvis 86.0%. For staghorn calculi, the stone-free rate was 60.0%. The stone-free rate for the different positions of calculi within the ureter was: upper ureter 84.3%, iliac ureter 82.4%, and pelvic ureter 91.0%. For calculi >24 mm, the retreatment rate increased, and the success rate dropped sharply.
Conclusion: Extracorporal shockwave lithotripsy should be the first therapeutic option for urinary calculi of <24 mm regardless of their position in the urinary tract.