Lasers in Urology: Stone disease

Abstract

— Laser devices for endoscopic lithotripsy differ in their technical aspect from those designed for other urological applications. Their main characteristic is represented by the Q switched output to avoid the thermal effect, which is always associated with the continuous wave output of other lasers. The wave length allows the selective absortion of energy by the stone, greatly reducing the risk of tissue damage. At present three types of laser are available for endoscopic lithotripsy: pulsed dye laser (coumarine green); wave length: 504 nm. Pulsed dye laser (rodamine); wave length: 594 nm. Alexandrite laser; wave length: 750 nm. The pros and cons of laser lithotripsy compared to other methods for endoscopic lithotripsy are highlighted.