[Extracorporeal lithotripsy as the primary procedure in the treatment of large kidney calculi].

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) as primary treatment for large renal stones has been evaluated in this clinical study of 55 patients. Patients were treated using the Dornier HM-3 lithotripter. Twenty-one (38%) patients presented with a stone burden greater than 4 centimeters. Nineteen patients had "steinstrasse", of which 8 had to undergo a secondary procedure. Sixteen (29%) patients had no residual stone, 5 had clinically non significant stones and 34 had clinically significant stones. Out of the 15 patients who underwent a second ESWL, only 2 were rendered stone-free. In this study, ESWL was not found to be a satisfactory treatment for large renal stones.