title: Current role of extracorporeal shockwave therapy in surgery.
abstract: In urology the introduction of extracorporeal shockwave therapy brought a revolutionary change to the management of urinary calculi. This inspired the introduction of shockwave therapy in several fields of surgery; it has been applied as a potential alternative to several operative procedures but is still experimental. So far, the major application of shockwave therapy has been lithotripsy of stones in the gallbladder, common bile duct, pancreatic duct and salivary gland ducts. Other applications are in the non-operative management of bone healing disturbances and in the inhibition of tumour growth. Steps towards selective thrombus ablation and pretreatment of heavily calcified arteries have also been made. In this review, the applications of extracorporeal shockwave therapy in several areas of surgery are discussed. It is concluded that, for selected patients, shockwave treatment may serve as a useful addition to the surgical armamentarium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Erasmus University Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Plaisier
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: van der Hul
authors.forename: O T
authors.initials: OT
authors.lastname: Terpstra
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Bruining
mesh_terms: D002137:Calculi / Q000628:therapy*; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000628:therapy; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000628:therapy; D042882:Gallstones / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008096:Lithotripsy; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D010183:Pancreatic Ducts; D015494:Salivary Gland Calculi / Q000628:therapy; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000628:therapy