title: Calculus fragmentation in laser lithotripsy.
abstract: The intracorporeal treatment of urinary calculi with lasers is presented, which describes laser-calculus interactions associated with lithotripsy. Reliable fragmentation of calculi with diverse compositions and minimal collateral tissue damage are primarily contingent upon laser parameters (wavelength, pulse duration, and pulse energy) and physical properties of calculi (optical, mechanical, and chemical). The pulse duration governs the dominant mechanism in calculi fragmentation, which is either photothermal or photoacoustical/photomechanical. Lasers with long pulse durations (i.e. > tens of micros) induce a temperature rise in the laser-affected zone with minimal acoustic waves; material is removed by means of vaporization, melting, mechanical stress, and/or chemical decomposition. Short-pulsed laser ablation (i.e. < 10 micros), on the other hand, produces shock waves, and the resultant mechanical energy fragments calculi. Work continues throughout the world to evaluate the feasibility of advanced lasers in lithotripsy and to optimize laser parameters and light delivery systems pertinent to efficient fragmentation of calculi.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA. welch@mail.utexas.edu
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Welch
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: J M H
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Teichman
mesh_terms: D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D001703:Biophysics; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D008096:Lithotripsy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000639:trends; D017602:Lithotripsy, Laser; D014545:Urinary Calculi / Q000628:therapy*