Prospective study of post-ESWL infections of the urinary tract

Throughout the world ESWL is nowadays the treatment of choice in renoureteral stones and ever smaller stones can be treated. We have undertaken the present study to evaluate post treatment infective complications in low-risk patients. A prospective study has been performed on 150 non-infected patients before ESWL treated for renal stones whose maximum diameter was less than 15 mm. None out of this group underwent pretreatment manoeuvres. Urinecultures were checked before and after treatment (3 days – 30 days). Out of 150 third day urine cultures 11 were positive but only 5 patients presented a symptomatic infection. All patients whose urineculture was positive received antibiotic treatment. All urinecultures were negative at the 30 days follow-up. The low incidence of urinary symptomatic and asymptomatic infections in our series and the rapid cure by antibiotic therapy suggest performing ESWL treatment in selected patients without any antibiotic prophylaxis. Antibiotic therapy will be set up just in symptomatic or asymptomatic post-treatment infections.