Shock wave lithotripsy does not impair renal function in a Swine model of metabolic syndrome.

PURPOSE: To determine whether shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) may be a risk factor for renal functional impairment in a swine model of metabolic syndrome (MetS).
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nine-month-old female Ossabaw pigs were fed an excess calorie atherogenic diet to induce MetS. At 15 months of age, the MetS pigs were treated with 2000 SWs or an overtreatment dose of 4000 SWs targeted at the upper pole calyx of the left kidney (24 kV at 120 SWs/min using the unmodified Dornier HM3 lithotripter; n=5-6 per treatment group). Serum creatinine (Cr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels were measured in conscious pigs before and ∼60 days after SWL to provide a qualitative assessment of how well both kidneys were filtering (glomerular filtration rate [GFR]). Bilateral renal function was assessed at ∼65 days post-SWL in anesthetized pigs with GFR and effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) quantified by the renal clearance of inulin and para-amino hippurate, respectively.
RESULTS: Cr and BUN values were within normal limits before SWL and remained unchanged after lithotripsy in both the 2000 SW- and 4000 SW-treated pigs. GFR and ERPF of kidneys treated with SWL at either SW dose were similar to the contralateral nontreated kidney. Chronic histological changes in the SW-treated pole of the kidney included interstitial fibrosis, sclerotic glomeruli, and dilated and atrophic tubules.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results are consistent with the view that a single SWL session does not result in renal impairment, even in the presence of MetS.