Evaluation of renal damage in extracorporeal lithotripsy by shock waves.

Lithotrispy by shock waves is an alternative treatment to renal lithiasis surgery. On destruction of the stone, the pressure of shock waves produces renal microdamage. According to the current knowledge of renal physiopathology, we studied the variations of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAG) levels in blood and urine of 44 patients with renal lithiasis (pelvic or calyceal) before and after treatment. We found a significant LDH and NAG increase in blood and an LDH increase in urine after lithotripsy. There was no correlation between the number of applied waves and enzymatic increase.