Research Information System
Turkish Journal of Veterinary Research (Online), vol.9, no.2, pp.151-156, 2025 (TRDizin)
Nowadays, medical treatment and/or surgical procedures in the management of urolithiasis have increasingly been replaced by various minimally invasive techniques. One such method is Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL), which works by focusing shock waves generated from an energy source onto the urolith to fragment it. It is used specifically for breaking stones that are localized in a fixed position. ESWL has rapidly gained ground worldwide as a treatment option for urolithiasis. It has been used for the fragmentation of nephroliths, ureteroliths, and cystoliths in dogs, and ureteroliths and cystoliths in cats with high success rates in small animal veterinary practice for approximately 25 years. In some dogs, it is also known to be used for reducing the size of bladder stones. Since ESWL is a relatively new treatment modality in the field of veterinary medicine in Turkey, this review aims to evaluate the usability and effectiveness of ESWL in small animal clinical practice.