Preclinical comparison of superpulse thulium fiber laser and a holmium:YAG laser for lithotripsy.

Purpose: A superpulse (500 W peak power) thulium fiber laser operating at a 1940 nm wavelength, suitable for lithotripsy, has recently been developed. The goal of this study was to compare stone fragmentation and dusting performance of the prototype superpulse thulium fiber laser with leading commercially available, high-power holmium:YAG lithotripters (wavelength 2100 nm) in a controlled in vitro environment.

Methods: Two experimental setups were designed for investigating stone ablation rates and retropulsion effects, respectively.