Extracorporeal piezoelectric lithotripsy in unanesthetized children.

Extracorporeal piezoelectric lithotripsy is an effective method for treating renal pelvic stones in children. Treatment with the Wolf lithotriptor is essentially painless and can be performed without anesthesia on an outpatient basis. Real-time ultrasound is used to localize stones. In a 1-year period at the University of Utah, extracorporeal piezoelectric lithotripsy was administered to eight children with nine renal units. Of the eight children, aged 5 to 17 1/2 years, only two required sedation and only one received retreatment. No stents were placed. At 1 month posttreatment, all children were stone-free, and no significant complications occurred.