An innovative mobile lithotripter for extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy and therapy

Introduction: To assess the performance of a new mobile device for extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) and therapy (ESWT). Materials and Methods: 278 patients underwent 399 treatment for stone disease. 28 patients received 64 treatments for orthopaedic issues such as pseudarthrosis or enthesiopathies resistant to conservative treatment. Results: During ESWL, minor pain symptoms were well resolved with analgesics intravenously. 45% of patients were stone-free and 50% had irrelevant fragments at the time of discharge. 66% of patients underwent a single treatment. Auxiliary measures after ESWL were necessary in 5%. After ESWT, pain symptoms of all patients were reduced on average to 5.2 points on a numerical rating scale from 1 to 10. Patients with bony nonunions produced callus if the bone scan before ESWT showed activity. No complication related to either form of treatment was observed. Conclusions: This innovative mobile lithotripter fulfils all expectations a user can have in an upt-to-date equipment: good disintegration, low side effects, easy handling, fast installation, dual imaging and suitability for ESWL and ESWT.