Extracorporal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is the standard therapy in the treatment of urinary calculi. the high rate of fragmentation and simultaneous stone selectivity makes laser lithotripsy an alternative method in the treatment of obstructing ureteral calculi. In comparison to the success rate of ESWL, laser lithotripsy as a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure seems to be superior in disintegrating calculi in the distal ureter. Together with the advance of miniaturized semiflexible endoscopes, intracorporal laser lithotripsy presents a new aspect in the treatment of urinary calculi.
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