Extracorporeal cholecystolithotripsy without oral chemolitholysis.

One hundred thirty-six patients completed extracorporeal biliary lithotripsy (EBL) for symptomatic cholecystolithiasis. Sonographic evidence of complete clearance of all stone fragments was the only criterion for treatment success, which occurred in 32 of the 71 patients (45%) followed up for 24 weeks and in 36 of the 59 patients (61%) followed up for 52 weeks. The authors' protocol varied from protocols of other researchers primarily in that no adjuvant chemolitholysis was used. However, the number of treatment sessions and total number of shock waves (a maximum of 4,000 shock waves per treatment session, 12,000 shock waves in a patient demonstrating no significant fragmentation, and 20,000 shock waves in a patient whose stones responded well to fragmentation) was higher than those in other reports. The results of treatment and complication rates in this study are comparable with those at centers using both shock-wave lithotripsy and chemotherapy. The authors conclude that EBL is developing into an important alternative to surgery, which was obviated in all patients with complete clearance of fragments from the gallbladder.