Stone size and total burden
Your imaging shows the size, number and position of stones. One measurement alone does not decide whether ESWL is suitable.
Home / Am I a Candidate?
Is shockwave lithotripsy right for your kidney stone?
Bring your imaging and hospital records. We review your stone’s size, location and density, your symptoms and your health, then recommend a plan. ESWL suitability and timing are individual.
Plan your kidney stone evaluation
Bring your scan images and reports, discharge papers and medication list. Our team will confirm your appointment, office and preparation instructions.
Compare stone treatment options · Check ESWL suitability · Prepare for your treatment visit · Plan stone prevention
Why candidacy matters
Shockwave lithotripsy is non-invasive and, for the right stone, highly effective. But its success depends heavily on a few measurable factors — mainly the stone's size, density, and location. A urologist who offers ESWL to everyone produces worse outcomes than one who selects carefully. Our approach is to match the treatment to the stone, not the other way around.
What your ESWL evaluation checks
Location and drainage
The evaluation considers where the stone sits, the route fragments must travel and whether urine is draining. Bring the actual images when possible.
Density and composition
CT density can help assess shockwave response, while laboratory stone analysis identifies composition. Bring a prior stone-analysis result if you have one.
Health, medicines and preparation
Tell us about infection symptoms, pregnancy possibility, blood thinners, kidney disease, one functioning kidney and anesthesia history. Do not stop prescribed medicines yourself.
Come in for a kidney stone evaluation
Bring your imaging and hospital records. We review your stone’s size, location and density, your symptoms and your health, then recommend a plan. ESWL suitability and timing are individual.
David Shusterman, MD, urologist at NYLitho. Bring your imaging, reports and questions to discuss the next step for your own stone history.
How we decide — together
The honest answer to "am I a candidate?" almost always comes down to your imaging. A recent non-contrast CT tells us the size, location, and density of your stone, which are the variables that matter most. That's why our intake invites you to share your scan: it lets us give you a straight answer rather than a generic one.
Get a candidacy answer for your stone
Bring your imaging and hospital records. We review your stone’s size, location and density, your symptoms and your health, then recommend a plan. ESWL suitability and timing are individual.
Understanding your stoneHow composition and CT density shape the treatment plan.
Office ESWL
The stent questionWhy ESWL usually spares you a ureteral stent.
Selected references
- Surgical Management of Kidney and Ureteral Stones: AUA Guideline (2026), Parts I–III. J Urol.
- Ouzaid I, et al. A 970 Hounsfield units threshold of stone density improves patient selection for ESWL. BJU Int. 2012.