Does morbid obesity influence the success and complication rates of extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy for upper ureteral stones?

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the current study was to investigate whether obesity influences the outcome of extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) treatment for upper ureteral stones. Material and methods: This is a retrospective study of 134 patients who underwent ESWL between June 2011 and May 2014. Patients were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 comprised 94 patients of normal weight, and group 2 comprised 40 morbidly obese patients. Patients in both groups had upper ureteral stones. Results: The mean age of groups 1 and 2 was 45.6 +/- 12.1 and 45.3 +/- 15.5 years, respectively (p=0.98). There was no significant difference in demographic variables between the groups. The mean stone size in Groups 1 and 2 was 81.7 +/- 25.7 mm(2) and 86.3 +/- 22.4 mm(2), respectively (p=0.51), the mean body mass index (BMI) was 27.4 +/- 2.9 and 42.9 +/- 2.1, respectively (p<0.01), the mean number of ESWL sessions was 2.4 +/- 0.6 and 2.4 +/- 0.7, respectively (p=0.97), and the mean follow-up time was 7.1 +/- 3.4 and 6.6 +/- 2.8 weeks, respectively (p=0.67). The overall stone-free rate was 82% in group 1 and 67% in group 2 (p=0.01). Conclusion: It is well-known that morbidly obese patients have higher rates of anesthesia-related problems due to the comorbidities commonly observed in this population. In the current study, we found that ESWL is a safe and acceptable treatment option for morbidly obese patients with upper ureteral stones.