EFFICIENCY OF EXTRACORPOREAL SHOCKWAVE LITHOTRIPSY ON CALCIUM-OXALATESTONES - ROLE OF COPPER, IRON, MAGNESIUM AND ZINC CONCENTRATIONS ON DISINTEGRATION OF THE STONES

Clinical use of extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) in the non invasive management of urinary calculi is highly effective and practic al. But its results vary in relation to several factors including loca lization, size and the chemical composition of the stones. Moreover, t he anatomy of the kidneys treated is another contributing factor to th e success rate of ESWL in upper urinary tract stones. Currently, excep t cystine and struvite stones, the efficiency of ESWL has been proved and has become the most outstanding therapy for calculi in a great num ber of stone centers. In this study, the efficiency of ESWL treatment in respect to the concentrations of 4 different trace elements (Cu, Fe , Mg and Zn) in the chemical composition of Ca-oxalate monohydrate sto nes have been evaluated in 20 patients.