[Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy in childhood].

In general, the criteria for treatment of urolithiasis in children are the same as those for adults. Today, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is the method of choice for treatment of most pediatric urinary stones. Stone-free rates between 57% and 97% at short-term follow-up and 57%-92% at long-term follow-up have proven the efficacy of ESWL treatment in children. So far, there is no evidence of negative side effects of ESWL treatment in children in the long-term, confirming the safety of ESWL treatment seen in the short-term results. In particular, neither induction of hypertension nor deterioration of renal function have been detected in children when limitation of shock wave energy and shock wave numbers have been carefully observed.