2022 Recommendations of the AFU Lithiasis Committee: Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL)

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is a minimally invasive technique for the fragmentation of urinary tract stones using shock waves under fluoroscopic and/or ultrasound guidance. ESWL results depend on the indication (stone size/composition, clinical context) and also on how it is performed. The stone structure, nature and density (Hounsfield units; evaluated by CT without contrast agent) influence the fragmentation achieved by ESWL. The upper size limit of kidney stones has been lowered to 15 mm (1.68 cm(3)) due to the increased risk of steinstrasse with larger sizes and the potential need of anesthesia and ureteral stenting. Conversely, the development of endourological technologies allows a finer stone fragmentation and/or better elimination, thus reducing the risk of steinstrasse and decreasing the potential number of sessions or additional interventions.Methodology. - These recommendations were developed using two methods: the Clinical Practice Recommendations method (CPR) and the ADAPTE method, depending on whether the question was considered in the European Association of Urology (EAU) recommendations (https://uroweb.org/guidelines/urolithiasis [EAU 2022]) and their adaptability to the French context.(c) 2023 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.