Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy complicated with miliary tuberculosis.

Abstract

We report a case of miliary tuberculosis following extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL*). The patient had right lower caliceal and left distal ureteral calculi on excretory urography. He was hospitalized 50 days after ESWL with fever, weight loss and night sweats. Liver function tests were abnormal and he had hypoxemia. A chest x-ray at hospitalization was normal but a miliary pattern developed 10 days later. Diagnosis was tuberculosis based on culture of sputum in a Löwenstein medium. Liver biopsy confirmed caseating epithelioid granulomas. Antituberculous treatment was successful. We conclude that renal tuberculosis associated with calcification must be ruled out before treatment with ESWL to avoid a possible hematogenous dissemination.