Decreasing Discomfort during Shock-Wave Lithotripsy Using Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation

Introduction: Shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) is a less-invasive procedure for treating a subgroup of renal stones. Since it may cause significant pain and anxiety during the procedure, several strategies have been proposed to reduce the discomfort during the SWL procedure. This study aimed to evaluate transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) as a non-invasive analgesic strategy during SWL.Methods: A total of seventy-nine patients who underwent the SWL were included. The participants were randomly divided into two groups: the case group using conventional TENS (41 patients) and the control group without TENS. The visual analog scale (VAS) was recorded at the end of the SWL session. The analgesic (30mg ketorolac) was given in both groups due to the patient’s request. Results: Both study groups were similar in age, sex, BMI, history of SWL, hypertension, stone location, and stone size. Our data indicated less VAS in the case group than in the control group throughout the procedure, although it was not statistically significant (P-value=0.087).Conclusion: TENS can be offered as a non-invasive and safe pain relief strategy during the SWL.