Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy

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Recent years have witnessed many changes in treatment of urinary calculi. The newest technological advance in this area is extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL). This treatment allows fragmentation of stones in the kidney and upper ureter without open surgery. The authors describe their experience with the procedure and discuss its benefits, such as a markedly shorter hospital stay, less postoperative pain, and a quicker return to full activity. Although several questions remain about ESWL, the authors conclude that it is “an exciting new weapon in our battle against stone disease.”