Abstract

Abstract

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is a well-established, safe, and effective therapeutic alternative to surgical treatment for urolithiasis. Complications of ESWL do occur in a small number of patients, and when they do, they typically involve the kidney. Formation of a spinal epidural hematoma is an extremely rare complication after ESWL for kidney stone removal. The authors present the case of a 61-year-old man in whom a large spinal epidural hematoma developed after ESWL. They discuss the possible pathogenic mechanism of such a complication.

J Neurosurg Spine. 2012 Feb;16(2):127-9. doi: 10.3171/2011.10.SPINE11236. Epub  2011 Nov 25

PMID:22117141[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Comment

Comment

This is obviously the first report on a spinal cord epidural hematoma after extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. It seems that  this is not a complication of SWL but the complication of an improper use of SWL as the authors state: " Our patient had several risk factors such as hypertension and misdirection of the ultrasound field to the spinal cord that predisposed him to epidural vessel rupture, which led to a spinal epidural hematoma after ESWL."

Peter Alken