Pancreatic duct stone management strategies: Advances and clinical practice in chronic pancreatitis

Table 2 Summary of benefits and risks of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for pancreatic duct stones

Procedure	Key benefits	Key risks/limitations
ESWL	Non-invasive fragmentation of large stones into fragments ≤ 3 mm. High success rate for complete/near-complete fragmentation and clearance. Effective for pain relief by decompressing the obstructed duct. Generally safe with a low incidence of severe adverse events	Incomplete fragmentation can occur; predictors include high stone CT attenuation and large stone volume. May require multiple sessions. Common side effects: Cutaneous ecchymosis, sinus bradycardia. Post-procedural acute pancreatitis occurs in approximately 3.7% of patients. Efficacy is reduced by a concomitant main pancreatic duct stricture

ESWL: Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy; CT: Computed tomography.