The Effect of Pre-Procedure Anxiety on Pain Perception During First Session of Shock Wave Lithotripsy

\udAlthough shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) is a common noninvasive\udprocedure, it can be very painful and a serious source of anxiety which\udmay affect pain perception. The aim of this study was to evaluate the\udassociation between patient’s anxiety and SWL-related pain.\udMaterials and Methods\udA total of 54 patients, who underwent the first session of SWL treatment\udbetween January and April 2014 due to a single renal pelvic stone with\uda diameter less than 20 mm, were included in the study. All patients\udwere particularly informed about the procedure and, then, the validated\udHospital Anxiety and Depression scale was administered in order to\udidentify the anxiety level before the procedure. All relevant data, such as\udage, sex, stone size, body mass index (BMI), anxiety score, visual analog\udscale (VAS) score, skin-to-stone distance, and total energy were recorded.\udResults\udThe mean age of the study population was 41.11±16.35 years. The mean\udstone size, anxiety level before procedure, VAS score during SWL, BMI,\udskin-to-stone distance and energy level were 10.69±4.75 mm (5-20\udmm), 5.2±3.87; 6.5±2.46; 25.77±4.16; 7.23±2.10 cm; 56.53±16.74 joule,\udrespectively. Anxiety prior to procedure, energy level and the number\udof total shock wave had a significant effect on VAS score (p<0.05). Sex,\udstone size, BMI and skin-to-stone distance did not significantly affect the\udVAS scores (p>0.05).\udConclusion\udAccording to our results, reducing patient anxiety, if any, can provide\udsome additional pain control during SWL procedure and can improve\udpatient complianc