[Use of ultrasound-guided percutaneous nephrostomy before and after ESWL: 4 years of experience].

We evaluated the usefulness of percutaneous nephrostomy in 1700 patients treated for reno-ureteral stones by extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (SWL). Out of this group 81 patients (5.8%) underwent echo-guided percutaneous nephrostomy (EPCN): the procedure has been performed in local anesthesia in 38% of the cases (31 pts) before SWL and in 62% (50 pts) after. The majority of EPCN were carried out for the presence of acute or chronic ureteral obstruction with echographic evaluable dilation of pyelocaliceal system when retrograde ureteral manipulations failed or were considered unsuitable. EPCN before SWL was performed because of ureteral stone and uncomplicated pyelocalyceal dilation (19 pts); ureteral stone, pyelocaliceal dilation and fever > 38 degrees C (3 pts); ureteral stone, pyelocalyceal dilation and functional IVP exclusion (5 pts); pyelic stone in solitary kidney (1 pts); ureteral stones in pregnancy (2 pts). EPCN after SWL was performed because of uncomplicated, persistent pile-up (31 pts); ureteral pile-up complicated by fever and colics (9 pts); ureteral obstructing fragments (2 pts); double J obstruction by stone dust (3 pts); persistent ureteral pile-up around double J (3 pts); anuria in solitary kidney (1 pt). Out of the patients who underwent EPCN before SWL 13% were stone free and without drainage at discharge, 77% had passable stone fragments at discharge and drainage has been taken out at 15-30 days check up, 10% had unbroken stone and underwent with drainage to ureterolithotripsy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)