Shifting the Split Reflectors to Enhance Stone Fragmentation of Shock Wave Lithotripsy

Shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) has been used widely in urology for about three decades to treat kidney calculi. Technical development to improve performance (i.e., stone fragmentation efficiency) is continuous. Low-pressure wide-focus lithotripters have already achieved promising results. In this study, the lithotripter field and profile of lithotripter shock waves were changed simultaneously using a cost-effective and convenient design. An intact parabolic reflector was split into four pieces, and each part was moved individually. By shifting the split reflectors, the focused acoustic beams were separated. As a result, the beam width in the focal region could be increased. Both numerical models of wave propagation using a k-wave approach and hydrophone measurements showed similar pressure waveforms at the focus and the distributions along and transverse to the lithotripter axis. The increase of the shifting distance from 0 mm to 7 mm resulted in the increase of −6 dB beam width from 7.1 mm to 13.9 mm and location of tensile peak on axis moving from z = −14 mm to 1 mm. The Lithotripters at 10 kV (intact reflector) and at 12 kV with the split reflectors shifted by 5 mm were compared with each other because of their similar peak positive pressures at the focus (8.07 MPa ± 0.05 MPa vs. 7.90 MPa ± 0.11 MPa, respectively). However, there were significant differences in their positive beam width (8.7 mm vs. 10.2 mm), peak negative pressure (−6.34 MPa ± 0.04 MPa vs. −7.13 MPa ± 0.13 MPa), the maximum tensile stress (7.55 MPa vs. 8.95 MPa) and shear stress (6.1 MPa vs. 7.76 MPa) in a 10-mm diameter spherical stone and bubble collapse time (127.6 μs ± 5.4 μs vs. 212.7 μs ± 8.2 μs). As a result, stone fragmentation efficiency was enhanced about 1.8-fold (57.9% ± 4.6% vs. 32.2% ± 5.6%, p < 0.05) when shifting the split reflectors. These results suggest that this new reflector design could change the characteristics of the lithotripter field and increase stone fragmentation efficiency.