FIG. 2.

Experimental setup used to assess SWL comminution efficacy. The finger cot assembly used to hold model stones was filled with deionized water degassed to a dissolved oxygen level 80% of saturation to mimic that of urine; it was subsequently placed into a larger treatment tank containing degassed water (dissolved oxygen level <15% of saturation) with a conductivity of 600 μS/cm. Shock waves (SWs) were delivered from a research electrohydraulic lithotripter patterned after the Dornier HM3, while bubble removal pulses were generated by a separate piezoelectric transducer oriented orthogonal to the axis of SW propagation.