Treatment of Renal and Ureteral Stones with Lithocut C-3000 Lithotripter

Abstract

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy is nowadays the first-line treatment of both renal and ureteral stones. Lithotripters are still expensive, but marked reduction of treatment costs can be achieved with simpler, less costly equipment and treatment on an outpatient basis without anesthesia. We present 213 consecutive evaluable cases treated with the new Swedish lithotripter Lithocut C-3000. Successful fragmentation, defined as patients becoming stone free or having only asymptomatic residual fragments of ≤4 mm at 1- to 3-month follow-up, occurred in 87% of pelvic stones, 84% of caliceal stones, and 83% of proximal ureteral stones. Midureteral and distal ureteral stones were eliminated in approximately 55% of the cases. Location of stones is made by means of independent C-arm X-ray equipment, and ultrasound can be mounted as an option. The treatment was made without anesthesia, and one third of the patients were treated on an outpatient basis. The good clinical results, the reasonable purchase price, and the low running costs make the Lithocut C-3000 a competitive, easy-to-handle alternative machine for urologic centers that do not have large case loads.