Pathologic changes in the kidneys and other organs of dogs undergoing extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy with a tubless lithotripter.

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is an accepted method of treatment for renal calculi. Complications are rare, although most patients experience temporary hematuria. Shock waves generated by a spark plug in a tubless lithotripter administered to stones placed into the renal pelves of dogs, resulted in interstitial renal hemorrhage developing acutely, and interstitial fibroblastic reactions chronically. The latter were linear, and were in the cortex and/or medulla. They resulted from organisation of the interstitial hemorrhages. In addition interstitial nephritis was present and this could be the result of the surgery, the stones, preexisting infection or the ESWL. Other organs were intact, with the exception of a hematoma in the large bowel of one dog. Lithotripsy, in this dog model, produced a spectrum of kidney injury.