Impact of Body Fat Content on Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy for Pancreatic Duct Stones: A Retrospective Cohort Study

This was a single-center retrospective observational study that enrolled 147 patients with PDS who underwent ESWL and achieved complete stone clearance at Gongli Hospital, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, from January 2021 to January 2025. Measurements of VAT, subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), and SMT at the level of the L3/L4 intervertebral space were performed using non-contrast computed tomography (CT) combined with Adobe Photoshop software, and the VAT/SMT ratio was calculated accordingly. Hierarchical stepwise linear regression models were employed to analyze the independent effects of body fat-related parameters (including BMI, body fat percentage, and VAT/SMT ratio) on lithotripsy time and the number of lithotripsy sessions, after adjusting for confounding variables such as gender, age, and stone cross-sectional area.