US 4,901,709 AGranted

Shock wave source

AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft

InventorManfred Rattner

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Abstract

A shock wave source for use in a shock wave generator in an apparatus for extracorporeal lithotripsy treatment of a patient has a shock wave tube filled with a shock wave propagating medium with one end closed by a flexible sack for coupling to the patient, and an opposite end closed by a membrane having at least a portion thereof which is electrically conductive, and a coil disposed adjacent the membrane and connected to a high voltage pulse source. When high voltage pulses are applied to the coil, an electromagnetic field is generated which rapidly repells the membrane, thereby generating a shock wave. The membrane has a flexible base covered by a number of discrete laminae of conductive material. At least some of the laminae may have respectively different mass moments of inertia and/or electrical conductivity. The shock wave source is suitable for treating calculi such as kidney stones.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A shock wave source for extracorporeal lithotripsy treatment of calculi in a patient, said shock wave source comprising:

a housing containing a volume filled with a shock wave conducting medium closed at one end by a flexible cover adapted for application against said patient;
means for generating high-voltage pulses;
a coil connected to said means for generating high-voltage pulses;
an insulator layer disposed adjacent said coil;
a membrane closing an opposite end of said housing and disposed adjacent said insulator layer, said membrane consisting of a flexible base covered by a plurality of discrete geodesic laminae consisting of electrically conductive material, whereby upon the supply of a high-voltage pulse to said coil by said means for generating high-voltage pulses, said coil generates an electromagnetic field which rapidly repells said membrane to generate a pressure pulse and;
means for focusing said pressure pulse into a shock wave on said calculus.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.