Apparatus for the noninvasive shock fragmentation of renal calculi
US4608979A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 22, 1984 |
| Grant date | Sep 2, 1986 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 22, 2004 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B18/26
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Concretions, such as kidney stones, are nonsurgically fragmented by apparatus which produces focused shock waves. A truncated ellipsoidal reflector is positioned against the patient such that one focus thereof is coincident with the concretion. The reflector is filled with a liquid medium having an acoustical impedance similar to living tissue. A laser beam is focused at the remaining focus, thereby producing a shock wave which is coupled through the liquid medium and the patient's tissue and focused at the concretion. By controlling the energy level and duration of the laser beam, a fragmenting tensile stress is imparted to the concretion.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.