QUEBEC CITY—Studies presented at recent North American medical conferences have identified factors that can predict the success or failure of shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) for clearing renal and ureteral stones. These factors could help doctors decide on the most appropriate treatment modality for a given stone patient.

High renal-stone density and elevated BMI decrease the likelihood of stone disintegration with shock wave lithotripsy (SWL), Egyptian researchers conclude.

BERLIN—High BMI, body fat mass, and body fat percentage reduce shock wave lithotripsy efficacy.

BERLIN—The best results with shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) as a monotherapy for upper ureteric stones are achieved when stones are less than 1 cm, according to new findings presented here at the 22nd European Association of Urology Congress.

Adding the alpha blocker doxazosin to standard treatment may help clear distal ureteral stones, according to researchers in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

In patients with solitary distal ureteral stones, hydronephrosis is associated with prolonged stone clearance following shock wave lithotripsy (SWL), but the degree of hydronephrosis caused by the stones does not affect overall SWL outcome.

Researchers found that more than half of patients who presented to a nephrology clinic for a metabolic workup of nephrolithiasis had some level of CKD.

THE ROLE OF meat consumption in the development of kidney stones remains controversial. Most of the recent research on this topic has focused on the effect of dietary protein on acid-base metabolism, calcium excretion, and uric acid production.

DIABETES MELLITUS may increase the risk of urinary stones and predispose individuals to the development of uric acid stones, according to Mayo Clinic researchers.

Ureteroscopic pneumatic lithotripsy (URS-PL) has a high success rate in treating unilateral distal-ureteral stones, a study found.