Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) is the least invasive technique commonly used for treatment of urolithiasis when possible (depending on stone location, stone dimension and patient medical condition).

This non-surgical procedure using shock wave, developed in the mid-1980's, fragments stones into small pieces which pass spontaneously several days or weeks later from the kidney and bladder in most patients. Extracorporeal Lithotripsy is a non-invasive procedure that uses sophisticated technology combining X-ray, ultrasound, and acoustic shock waves to diagnose and disintegrate urinary stones.

There are different types of lithotripters. The patient is comfortably positioned on a table and after localization through X-ray or ultrasound the stone is targeted by a series of shock waves generated outside of the body. Shock waves travel through water and are focused on the stone for an accurate disintegration.

Who can be treated with SWL?

During a medical examination, the urologist decides which mode of treatment is recommended to the patient. The evaluation may include routine blood and urine tests, X-ray, ultrasound and electrocardiograms. Careful patient selection for this type of procedure is important.

Sonolith Praktis and Sonolith Vision electroconductive lithotripters are proven technologies for SWL treatment of stone disease without surgical intervention.

SWL Treatment

If SWL treatment is chosen by the physician, then size, location and consistency of the stone determine the number of shock waves needed for an accurate fragmentation (between 1000 and 3500 shocks) and in general, treatment duration is from 30 to 50 minutes. Before treatment the stone is precisely localized in the urinary tract through X-ray or ultrasound. When you are correctly positioned on the table and your stone accurately located, the treatment can begin with monitoring of the fragmentation process during the procedure.