Urinary stone disease. Part IV. Recurrence prevention for urinary stone disease

The clinical role of X-ray computed tomography to predict the clinical efficiency of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy

“…Urolithiasis is related to the category of metabolic diseases; morbidity from this pathology is steadily increasing every year due to differences in the nutritional statuses of different cohorts of the general population and the emergence of a vast variety of hazardous social and environmental factors producing direct and indirect effects on the human organism. 1–4 Until recently, the choice, prediction, and evaluation of clinical efficiency of shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) and other diagnostic endoscopic procedures, for example, percutaneous nephrolithotripsy (PNL), transurethral lithotripsy (TUL), as well as conventional surgical and combined therapeutic approaches, presented considerable difficulties for practitioners in the field. 5–8 Many authors still hold to the opinion (and not without reasons) that the outcome of virtually any treatment can be significantly improved through prediction of efficiency of the therapeutic procedures (SWL, conventional surgery, etc.)…”