title: Clearance of irretrievable bile duct and pancreatic duct stones by extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy, using a transportable device: effectiveness and medium-term results.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) is an established treatment of irretrievable biliary and pancreatic stones, but the cost of the shockwave generators limits its widespread use. We revised data about the effectiveness of our treatment for refractory stones using a transportable shockwave generator.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively evaluated the short and medium-term outcomes of patients who underwent ESWL using a transportable electromagnetic shockwave generator between 1998 and 2003 at our unit, for the treatment of irretrievable bile duct or pancreatic duct stones. All patients received intravenous conscious sedation and antibiotic prophylaxis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Complete stone clearance was achieved in 70/82 patients (85.4%), in 66 of the patients (94.2%) with 1 session of ESWL. Despite the insertion of a stent in the bile duct, 2 patients had moderate cholangitis, while they waited for the next ESWL session. We did not record any moderate-severe complication of ESWL, but 2 patients underwent surgery owing to perforation/bleeding during endoscopic removal of residual fragments. A symptomatic recurrence of stones was recorded in 10/69 (14.5%) patients, who had been previously cleared and whose follow-up data (median follow-up 29 mo; range 7 to 66) were available.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We obtained satisfactory stone clearance by using a transportable shockwave generator. Most patients required 1 session. Our experience confirmed the safety of the treatment, even though patients may experience cholangitis while awaiting definitive treatment. The use of a transportable ESWL generator may be a valuable option in centers, while ensuring a sufficient proficiency in biliary endoscopy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Unit, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, Reggio Emilia, Italy. rita.conigliaro@asmn.re.it
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Conigliaro
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Camellini
authors.forename: Claudia G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Zuliani
authors.forename: Romano
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sassatelli
authors.forename: Maria G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Mortilla
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bertoni
authors.forename: Debora
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Formisano
authors.forename: Giuliano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bedogni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002137:Calculi / Q000628:therapy*; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008096:Lithotripsy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome