Experience with Lithostar shock wave lithotripsy for the treatment of upper urinary tract stone.

The experiment of Lithostar, an electromagnetic generator of the second-generation extracorporeal shock wave lithotriptor is presented. From August 2, 1988 to April 4, 1989, 387 treatments in 333 cases were conducted by Lithostar. Among all patients, the overall stone-free rate is 71.9% in which the ureteral stone-free rate (87.7%) is higher than the renal (66.3%) and 19.5% of the patients need additional procedures. This Lithostar proves to be easy in operation, bathless, requires less anesthesia, and may be used in combination with other procedures. It can also make higher average shock number than Dornier HM-3 lithotriptor because of its milder shock wave pressure.