Percutaneous rotational lithotripsy of urinary bladder stones. Clinical results with the Rotolith lithotriptor.

Mechanical rotational lithotripsy of urinary bladder stones, up to 20 mm in diameter, was performed in 6 male patients with the Rotolith lithotriptor. The lithotriptor was introduced through a 10 F (OD 3.3 mm) suprapubically inserted sheath, and the procedure was performed under intermittent fluoroscopy and inspection through a transurethral cystoscope. In 3 patients, the bladder stones were fragmented to pieces small enough to be evacuated through the cystoscope. The instrument, which is designed for lithotripsy of gallbladder stones, was less efficient for fragmentation of urinary bladder calculi, primarily due to the large volume of the human urinary bladder, and possibly because of the higher gravity of bladder stones. There was no substantial damage to the mucosa of the urinary bladder.