[Biliary extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy].

Since 1985/86, more than 200 patients with problematic intra- and extrahepatic bile duct stones were treated with ESWL. Results are excellent and comparable with ESWL's success-story in urinary stone disease, abandoning widely open surgery for bile duct stones. In gallbladder-stone treatment, ESWL (always combined with bile acid litholysis) is only promising or successful in a carefully selected subset (10 to 15%) of all symptomatic patients (with good gallbladder contractility, limited stone volume and sonolucent stones).