Extracorporeal lithotripsy and prophylactic antibiotic therapy

: During ESWL, bacteria which may be contained in the stone gets disintegrated. This study evaluates the role of prophylactic antibiotherapy in preventing such complications. Fifty patients whose urine culture was negative were randomized into two groups: the first group (25 patients) received a placebo, the second group received Ceftriaxone 1 g I.V. as a single injection performed 1 hour previous ESWL. There was no positive blood culture and no positive urine culture in the placebo group arm as well as in the antibiotic group. In this study, the risk of infection induced by ESWL seems to be minimal, so that prophylactic antibiotherapy does not appear to be necessary when urine before ESWL is sterile.