Impact lithotrypsy
US5281231A · kind A · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 21, 1992 |
| Grant date | Jan 25, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 21, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B2018/266
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Method and apparatus for fracturing hard deposits such as urinary and biliary stones and atherosclerotic plaque in the human body. A flexible guide having a hard mass capping an end is adapted for insertion through a fluid passage in a living body. An energy source creates a rapid vapor expansion adjacent to the cap causing it to undergo a pulse like movement, imparting a high-velocity impulse to an adjacent deposit, thereby fracturing it. The energy source may be a laser with a fiber optic delivery system in the guide terminating adjacent to the cap to cause vaporization of the mass cap to create the vapor expansion. The energy source may be a spark generator with a conductor associated with the guide to deliver a fluid vaporizing spark adjacent to the mass cap. Other forms of rapid energy delivery such as chemical detonations or ballistic impact may also be applicable.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.