[Does extracorporeal lithotripsy causes hearing loss?].
BACKGROUND
The electrohydraulic lithotripter has revolutiomised the treatment of urolithiasis. It produces shock waves by electrical discharge in water associated at a noise. We know that the hearing damage is above 85 decibels. Our goal is determine if the Econolith 2000 lithotriptor produce hearing damage.


METHODS
10 patients were treated. They had audiometry prior to a single exposure to lithotripsy and twenty four hours after treatment. All our patients wore protective ear. The intensity of the sound was measured.


RESULTS
Inside of the operated room the intensity of the sound was 96 decibels, outside was 70. There weren't hearing damage in the patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The lithotriptor Econolith 2000 doesn't produce hearing damage in patients with protective ear.
Rivera Garay
P
P
Unidad de Urología y Otorrinolaringología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de La Frontera, Chile.
Orio
M
M
Hinostroza
J
J
Pastor
P
P
Gorena
M
M
Hernández
J
J
D003638:Deafness / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008096:Lithotripsy / Q000009:adverse effects*