Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy(eswl)and its effect on kidney function

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) isclearly an effective non invasive treatment for a widevariety of upper urinary tract calculi.Shock waves are high-energy amplitude of pressuregenerated in water or air by a sudden release of energyin a small space.Five types of anaesthesia are available general~high frequency jet ventilation, spinal, epidural andlocal.During the initial trials with the lithotripterpatients were carefully selected for treatment but nowindications were expanded.There are contraindications for ESWL which mightbe absolute or relative .ESWL causes complications and biologic effects atthe level of the treated kidney and surroundingstructures.A full understanding of the extent of the acute-changesthroughout the body is lacking andtherecognition of the potential long term consequences ofESWL may be just begining.