[The prospects for the use of a Soviet apparatus for the removal of gallstones with focused shock waves].

Clinico-experimental substantiation was conducted for extracorporal crushing of the stones in biliary ducts in patients who suffered from gallstone disease. The "Urat-II" national lithotriptor and "Urat-B" biostand were used to crush in experimental conditions 140 gallstones (0.5-2.5 cm in size) obtained during cholecystectomies. Experimental researches on 56 white rats were conducted to study the liver tissue and adjacent organs. Optimal regimes for the percussive wave generator were found out in which the best crushing effect was obtained (with the dimensions of fractions up to 1.6 mm) and at the same time the minimal disturbing factor was produced. The data obtained during these researches are used in clinical pilot testings on "Urat-II"--a prototype of the national cholelithotriptor.