Endourology Sound Bites #9: Eduardo Mazzucchi, MD on Lithotripsy in PCNL
January 2019
- In this episode Dr. Mazzucchi discusses lithotripsy in PCNL. One of the landmarks in PCNL was the advent of intracorporeal lithotripters which made possible the treatment of bigger stones. Among the most used lithotripters are the ultrasonic, ballistic, combination models and holmium laser. All of them are safe; ultrasonic models produce tiny fragments which are eliminated through a suction device coupled to the lithotripter. Ballistic lithotripters are more effective for breaking hard stones. Combination devices ally the advantages of ultrasonic and ballistic lithotripters. Laser devices achieve the same stone-free rate when compared to ultrasonic or combination lithotripters but with longer operative time.