A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL TO ASSESS THE INCIDENCE OF NEW-ONSET HYPERTENSION IN PATIENTS AFTER SHOCK-WAVE LITHOTRIPSY FOR ASYMPTOMATIC RENAL CALCULI

Purpose: To answer the question of whether extracorporeal shock wave l ithotripsy (ESWL*) induces hypertension, a prospective, randomized con trolled trial of normotensive patients with asymptomatic renal calculi was designed. Materials and Methods: Patients were randomized to rece ive immediate ESWL versus observation, reserving ESWL for the onset of symptoms. The rates of new onset hypertension were evaluated for both groups. Results: There was no observed difference in the incidence of hypertension between the treatment and observation groups. Conclusion s: The risk of hypertension in patients undergoing ESWL therapy is sim ilar to that of a control cohort of initially observed asymptomatic pa tients.