Medical and Biomedical Applications of Shock Waves: The State of the Art and the Near Future

Abstract

Biomedical applications of shock waves are a fascinating subject that is continuously growing. The use of shock waves to break up urinary calculi without surgery, which is known as extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (SWL), has led to considerable research in physics, medicine, microbiology, and molecular biology. After the first SWL in 1980, many companies developed clinical devices, and the number of successful treatments increased exponentially. SWL use was expanded to other types of stones, including gallbladder stones, pancreatic calculi, and salivary gland stones. Today, shock waves are also common in orthopedics, traumatology, cardiology, rehabilitation, aesthetic therapy, and veterinary medicine. Many of these treatments, which are referred to as extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), are attracting increasing attention. The pur- pose of this article is to give an overview of the biomedical applications of shock waves, including some current research topics.