Innovations in shock wave lithotripsy technology

Since its introduction in early 1980s, shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) has been used widely in clinic for the treatment of kidney and upper urinary stones. Although a variety of methods have been developed for shock wave generation, coupling, and focusing, the core of SWL technology has not changed significantly. In this talk, we will present a summary of our research efforts, aiming to provide innovations in SWL technology. Our strategy is to first better understand the mechanisms by which stone comminution and tissue injury are produced in SWL using various experimental and theoretical techniques. Based on this knowledge, we then developed novel techniques that can optimize the effect of cavitation in SWL via modification of the waveform profile, pressure distribution, and pulse sequence of lithotripter‐generated shock waves. These new techniques were upgraded on a Dornier HM‐3 lithotripter, the gold standard in SWL. Both in vitro phantom and in vivo animal experiments were carried out which demonstrated t...