Multimodal treatment (extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy and endourology) of complicated renal stone disease.

From October 1983, (installation of the extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy unit) to August 1985, 207 patients presented at the Katharinenhospital Stuttgart with complicated renal stone disease (70 borderline stones, 77 partial and 60 complete staghorn calculi). 197 patients were treated with the new technology for urinary stone therapy, i.e. extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCN), and ureterorenoscopy. The combination of PCN and ESWL proved to be the optimal therapeutic approach in the majority of cases (44%), particularly for partial and complete staghorns, whereas PCN or ESWL monotherapy are indicated for borderline stones (51% ESWL, 26% PCN, 20% combination, 3% surgery) and selected cases of staghorn calculi only. Based on this treatment policy (minimal invasiveness and morbidity), 75 patients with partial staghorn (21% ESWL, 28 PCN, 44% combination, 7% surgery) and 52 cases of complete staghorn stone (2% ESWL, 13% PCN, 74% combination, 11% surgery) have been treated successfully. The rate of major complications was low (2.5% septicemia, 2% major renal hemorrhage, 0.5% mortality). With this new concept of multimodal therapy (ESWL and endourology), even cases of malignant stone formation ('stone cancer') may be treatable, since these methods can be applied repeatedly without damaging the renal parenchyma.