INVESTIGATION OF THE TISSUE EFFECTS OF A NEW DEVICE FOR INTRACORPOREAL LITHOTRIPSY - THE SWISS LITHOCLAST

Currently three modalities are available for intracorporeal stone frag mentation-electrohydraulic, ultrasound and laser lithotripsy. A new de vice, the Swiss Lithoclast, has been developed by the Departments of M edical Electronics and Urology at the University of Lausanne, Switzerl and. This device has been used clinically in several countries for the treatment of stones throughout the human urinary tract. While no adve rse outcomes have been reported, the potential tissue effects of the d evice have not been thoroughly investigated in an animal model. The ob jective of the present study is to evaluate the possible acute and lon g-term tissue effects of this instrument on the pig urinary tract. In all acute animals, visible mucosal lesions were seen at the site of pr obe firing in the bladders and ureters. Histologic examination demonst rated the effects of acute trauma with edema, hemorrhage and mucosal d enudation. No significant long-term tissue effects were noted either p athologically or on radiographs in the 3- and 6-week animals. This stu dy confirms our clinical impression that the Swiss Lithoclast effectiv ely fragments urinary calculi and is associated with a large margin of safety.