TREATMENT OF URINARY STONES BY EXTRACORPOREAL SHOCK-WAVE LITHOTRIPSY

A total of 1641 ESWL-treatments were performed in 948 patients at Hels inki University Central Hospital between June 1989 and December 1991. In a series of 816 patients and 1287 treatments with data available 68 1 (76.4 %) stones were located in the kidney, 208 (23.3 %) in the uret er, and three (0.3 %) in the urinary bladder. Auxiliary procedures wer e performed in 156 (19.1 %) and repeated treatments in 300 (36.8 %) pa tients. The most common complication was intensive pain during the pro cedure in 138 (16.9 %) patients. The first 139 patients were followed until six months after their last ESWL-procedure. The six-month stone- free rates of renal and ureteric stones of these patients were 67.4 % and 86.7 %, respectively. The overall six-month clearance rate was 72. 4 %.