“For several decades now, doctors have utilized a non-surgical technique called extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) to break up kidney stones so they can be passed with the urine.

In a nutshell, the process involves subjecting the stones to high-intensity, externally applied acoustic pulses. While it spares patients from having to undergo surgery, they still typically must be sedated or even anesthetized, as the intense acoustic pulses can otherwise be painful.

Additionally, the procedure must be performed in a dedicated room using fairly large equipment. What’s more, the pulses may damage healthy tissue adjacent to the kidney stones. That’s where the new ‘Lithovortex’ treatment comes in…

Instead of hitting the stones straight-on, as is the case with ESWL pulses, these beams spin around the stones like twister tornados. As they do so, they produce shear forces on the stones that cause them to disintegrate.

Importantly, the vortex beams are so effective that they only need to be half as strong as the pulses utilized in ESWL, plus they take half as long to get the job done. This means that patients don’t need to be sedated, there is very little risk of tissue damage, and the procedure can be performed in an out-patient clinic.”

From New Atlas.