Lithoclast: New and Inexpensive Mode of Intracorporeal Lithotripsy

Abstract

The Lithoclast is a pneumatohydraulic lithotripter capable of fragmenting all urinary stones (including cystine stones) via direct contact with the tip of a semirigid probe 0.7 mm in diameter. Fragmentation is effected mechanically as the device transforms ballistic energy into 12 to 15 shock waves per second. Ureteroscopes may be small (<8F), the only qualification being a straight working channel. High efficacy combined with low morbidity is the hallmark of this new lithotripter. In our series, 100% of ureteric stones were fragmented without appreciable soft-tissue lesions. With a purchase price as low as one-tenth that for a laser lithotripter, the cost-benefit relation of the Lithoclast is highly satisfactory.