Fragmentation of biliary calculi by means of extracorporeally generated piezoelectric shock waves

A new extracorporeal piezoelectric lithotripter was tested for its gallstone disintegration capability. A total of 177 surgically removed gallbladder stones were submitted to piezoelectric shock-wave treatment. Prior to shock-wave application, the diameter, weight, and volume of all the stones and C...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Digestive diseases and sciences 1989-07, Vol.34 (7), p.1006-1010
Main Authors: ELL, C, KERZEL, W, LANGER, H, HEYDER, N, FOERSTER, E, DOMSCHKE, W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Cholelithiasis - analysis
Cholelithiasis - therapy
Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen
Humans
Lithotripsy - methods
Liver. Biliary tract. Portal circulation. Exocrine pancreas
Medical sciences
Other diseases. Semiology
Ultrasonics
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Summary:A new extracorporeal piezoelectric lithotripter was tested for its gallstone disintegration capability. A total of 177 surgically removed gallbladder stones were submitted to piezoelectric shock-wave treatment. Prior to shock-wave application, the diameter, weight, and volume of all the stones and CT density and MR signal intensity of selected stones were determined. After shock-wave application, the chemical composition of the stones was investigated by x-ray diffractometry and/or infrared spectrometry. All the stones (maximum diameter 6-30 mm) were successfully fragmented; calculi with a maximum diameter of 17 mm, a maximum weight of 1800 mg, and a maximum volume of 2 cc were regularly disintegrated into fragments less than or equal to 4 mm. The number of shock waves required correlated most closely with volume (r = 0.82, P less than 0.001), weight (r = 0.81, P less than 0.001) and, to a somewhat lesser degree, diameter (r = 0.62, P less than 0.001). No correlation was found between the chemical composition, CT density, or MR intensity of the calculi and the number of pulses needed for fragmentation.
ISSN:0163-2116
1573-2568
DOI:10.1007/BF01536364