ELIGIBILITY FOR EXTRACORPOREAL SHOCK-WAVE LITHOTRIPSY OF GALLBLADDER STONES USING DIFFERENT ENTRY CRITERIA

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) was introduced as a nonsu rgical treatment for uncomplicated, symptomatic gallstone disease. Due to its limited results and the possibility of stone recurrence, ESWL is mainly indicated for patients who reject or cannot tolerate cholecy stectomy. For budgetary and planning purposes, it is essential to know what percentage of patients arc eligible for this form of therapy. In the literature suitability is either reported variably (ranging from 10% to 53%) or not mentioned. We respectively assessed eligibility for ESWL for different entry criteria, based on the histories of 694 cons ecutive patients, who were referred for gallstone therapy from April 1 , 1988 to October 1, 1991. Only 10.3%-46.9% of symptomatic patients we re found eligible for ESWL, depending on the entry criteria used. When the overall results are compared with eligibility, there is no invers e relationship. This suggests that patient selection is not the only f actor determining the results of therapy. It is concluded, therefore, that other factors, such as treatment schemes, the lithotripters used, and experience of the treating physicians, are important factors for the outcome of ESWL therapy.