Results in the use of extracorporeal piezoelectric lithotripsy (EPL) for treatment of urinary calculi.

The Piezolith 2200 as an extracorporeal shock wave lithotripter uses piezoelectrically generated, high-energy sonic impulses for treatment of urinary calculi; the shock wave generator is self-focussing. Localization of concrements is performed by means of ultrasound imaging. Treatment with the Piezolith 2200 is painless for the patient and thus possible without anesthesia and analgesia. We report on 806 cases of treatment involving a total of 572 kidneys in 567 patients (561 adults, 6 children) suffering from calculi of various sizes in the renal pelvis (n = 126), calculi in the calyces (n = 384), partial (n = 24) or full (n = 19) staghorn calculi, as well as calculi in the upper part of the ureter (n = 19). In 88% of these cases the concrements could be removed completely. Since cardiac activity is not influenced by piezoelectrically generated high-energy impulses, this procedure is particularly suited to the treatment of patients with heart problems.