Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for treatment of urinary tract calculi in children (Report of 62 cases)

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) in the treatment of urinary calculi in children. Methods: 62 cases of paediatric urinary calculi treated with ESWL from 1989 to 2002 were analysed retrospectively and discussed with review of the literature. Of the 62 children 35 had renal, 22 had ureteral,4 had bladder and 1 had allograft renal calculi. Results:At the 3-month follow-up, the overall stone-free rate after ESWL was 95.2. Two ( 3.2) cases have residual fragments. One ( 1.6) was failure then treated with open surgery.The voltage and shock wave index for children were much lower than that for adults.stone was quickly and smoothly released with little complications. Conclusions: ESWL is a safe and effective treatment for paediatric urolithiasis, so it should be considered the first choice to treat paediatric urinary calculi.