Maximizing stone fragmentation efficiency with ultrasonic probes: impact of probe pressure and rotation.

Purpose: We examined the effects of probe rotation and pressure on stone fragmentation in an in vitro percutaneous nephrolithotomy model.

Materials And Methods: The study was a fully randomized, factorial experiment with 20 repeat trials performed at each combination of variables, yielding a total of 300 trials per device for ultrasonic tests and 360 for ultrasonic/pneumatic combination tests. Varying masses were placed on the hand piece of each device to create a probe contact pressure of 400, 1,000 or 2,000 gm.