Percutaneous transhepatic electrohydraulic lithotripsy.
Calculi can be fragmented by hydraulic shock waves generated by an electrical discharge across the tip of a coaxial electrode. After testing a device by using this technique in the biliary trees of dogs, the authors fragmented a large common bile duct stone in a patient through a percutaneous transhepatic approach. The fragmentation allowed nonsurgical drainage of the obstructed duct.
D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D004285:Dogs; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D042882:Gallstones / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans