title: Efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy in pediatric and adolescent urolithiasis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To retrospectively evaluate the efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) by age and current condition as a first-line treatment for pediatric and adolescent urolithiasis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The computerized records of 55 children were retrospectively reviewed from March 1991 to July 2007. The children were below 18 years of age and had undergone ESWL monotherapy for urolithiasis. There were 36 boys (65.5%) and 19 girls (34.5%), with a mean age of 8.5 years (range, 0.5-18 years). There were 24 patients aged 7 years or less and 31 patients aged more than 7 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean size of the stones was 9.48 mm (range, 4-22 mm). The overall success rate of ESWL was 90.9% (50 children). The mean number of ESWL sessions was 2.02 (range, 1-10). The mean number of ESWL sessions for the patient group aged 7 years or less was 1.16 (range, 1-2) and that for the patient group aged more than 7 years was 2.97 (range, 1-10; p=0.037). There was also a statistically significant difference in the mean number of ESWL sessions between the younger and older patients who needed general anesthesia (1.16 vs. 2.2 sessions, respectively; 0.042).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the patient group aged 7 years or less, the number of ESWL sessions and the complication rate were comparable with those for endoscopic management. Thus, ESWL is an effective first-line treatment modality for patients aged less than 7 years.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Joon Yeop
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Jee
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Soo Dong
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Won Yeol
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Cho
keywords: Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy; Pediatric urolithiasis