EFFECTS OF EXTRACORPOREAL SHOCKWAVE LITHOTRIPSY ON URINARY CONCENTRATION OF EPIDERMAL GROWTH-FACTOR

In a prospective study, we tried to determine whether extracorporeal s hockwave lithotripsy (SWL) has any effect on urinary epidermal growth factor (EGF) concentrations and to investigate whether EGF can be used as a marker for detecting shockwave-induced impairment of distal tubu lar cells, A total of 12 patients with renal pelvic or caliceal stones less than or equal to 2 cm undergoing anesthesia-free SWL without anc illary measures and a control group of 10 patients without any urologi c symptoms were included in this study, The urinary concentrations of EGF were measured by radioimmunoassay before and 4 hours, 24 hours, an d 7 days after SWL, Relative urinary EGF concentrations were expressed as the ratio of EGF to creatinine (ng/mL creatinine), The mean urinar y EGF concentration (mean +/- standard error) in control subjects and patients with renal pelvic or caliceal stones before SWL was 23.90 +/- 3.15 ng/mL creatinine and 22.18 +/- 6.85 ng/mL creatinine, respective ly (p > 0.05), In patients with stones, we found a decrease in urinary EGF concentration 4 hours, 24 hours, and 7 days after SWL, Indeed, 7 days after SWL, the EGF concentration was on average half of the origi nal value, a biologically significant, although not statistically sign ificant, decrease.