EXTRACORPOREAL SHOCK WAVE LITHOTRIPSY OF PANCREATIC DUCT STONES USING THE HEALTHTRONICS LITHOTRON LITHOTRIPTOR AND THE DORNIER HM3 LITHOTRIPSY MACHINE

Purpose: Pancreatic duct stones, which are most often a result of alcohol induced chronic pancreatitis, can lead to chronic abdominal pain, pseudocysts, and exocrine and endocrine failure of the pancreas. Others have reported success using extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) (Dornier Medical Systems, Inc., Marietta, Georgia) for pancreatic stones. We report our experience with pancreatic ESWL using the LithoTron (Healthtronics, Marietta, Georgia) and HM3 (Dornier) lithotripsy machines.Materials and Methods: We performed pancreatic ESWL in 23 patients in 4 years, including in 12 with the LithoTron and in 11 with the HM3. After ESWL endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP) was performed in all cases. Stone-free status was defined as no stone fragments visualized or the elimination of all post-ESWL stones by ERCP.Results: Stone-free status was documented in 83% and 82% of patients treated with the LithoTron and HM3, respectively, and 2 per group later required open surgical interventio...