496 Assessment of efficiency and safety of retrograde contact electropulse lithotripsy: Simple pilot multicenter study

Comparative In Vitro Study of the Effectiveness of Nanosecond Electrical Pulse and Laser Lithotripters

“…This novel lithotripsy method is differentiated by its principle of operation from existing lithotripsy methods in that it uses electrical pulses to break stones at a substantially higher voltage and at a very fast discharge time (nanosecond range). [9][10][11][12] This nanosecond electropulse lithotripter (NEPL) employs a new urinary calculus fragmentation technology 8 based on the following principle: The dielectric strength within a solid object (in our case a urinary stone) becomes lower than the dielectric strength within a liquid when using very fast highvoltage pulses that produce an electrical breakdown of various objects. Thus, electrical breakdown at direct contact occurs through the urinary stone as the solid object and not through the surrounding liquid, that is, the electric current flows through the plasma channel formed in the stone.…”

“…8 NEPL is in clinical use for several years in dozens of Russian clinics and has established itself as an effective and safe lithotripter. [10][11][12] At the same time, we should note that the subject of tissues safety with the use of NEPL has been previously established. When the NEPL probe is not in direct contact with the stone and is located solely in a liquid, the discharge can occur through the liquid medium and produce a pressure wave.…”

Investigation of Differences Between Nanosecond Electropulse and Electrohydraulic Methods of Lithotripsy: A ComparativeIn VitroStudy of Efficacy

“…This lithotripsy method differs considerably in operating principle from existing devices because it uses nanosecond duration electric pulses with a very short rise time to fragment stones. [8][9][10][11][12] While both the NEPL and the electrohydraulic lithotripter (EHL) appear to be similar in principle (they both use probes with two electrodes at the distal end to which an electrical pulse is applied), their characteristics are fundamentally different.…”

“…[10][11][12] The basic characteristic of the device is that it produces a nanosecond pulse with a rise time of less than 50 nanoseconds, duration of 250 to 500 nanoseconds, and voltage of 10 kV when the energy applied to the object is between 0.3 and 1.0 J.…”