Characteristics of the patients at baseline and of trial intervention*
| ESWL alone (n = 26) | ESWL combined with endoscopy (n = 29) | |
|---|---|---|
| ESWL, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. | ||
| *Values are means (SD) (normally distributed data); values with ranges under parentheses are medians (non-normally distributed data) | ||
| †p<0.001 for comparison with the ESWL alone group; the other comparisons regarding trial intervention (ie, ESWL and endoscopy sessions, as well as procedure-related complications) showed a p value >0.05. | ||
| Age (years) | 51.8 (12.3) | 49 (10.1) |
| Male sex, n (%) | 22 (85) | 21 (72) |
| Alcoholism, n (%) | 19 (73) | 20 (69) |
| Number of pain episodes during the year before treatment | 2.5 (1–13) | 3 (1–12) |
| Intensity of pain on a 10-point visual analogue scale | 7.2 (2) | 7.3 (1.7) |
| Pain present at the time of inclusion, n (%) | 11 (42) | 20 (69) |
| Pain continuous or present after every meal, n (%) | 10 (38) | 8 (34) |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 6 (23) | 4 (14) |
| Number of obstructive calcifications | 3.0 (1–10) | 1 (1–20) |
| Diameter of obstructive calcification (mm) | 10.5 (5–26) | 8 (3.5–20) |
| Diameter of the main pancreatic duct (mm) | 8.2 (2.9) | 7.8 (2.3) |
| Obstructive calcifications in the head of the pancreas only, n (%) | 19 (73) | 24 (83) |
| Number of ESWL sessions | 2 (1–3) | 2 (1–4) |
| Number of endoscopy sessions | 0 | 2 (1–4) |
| Patients with procedure-related complication, n (%) | 0 | 1 (3) |
| Hospital stay duration (days) | 2.2 (1.5) | 7.3 (4.9)† |