BegoStone—a new stone phantom for shock wave lithotripsy research (L)

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Abstract
BegoStone, a commercially available super-hard plaster originally developed for dental applications, was examined as a potential stone phantom material for shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) research. The physical properties of BegoStone were characterized by using an ultrasound pulse transmission method and a microhardness tester with a Vickers indenter. In addition, spherical BegoStone phantoms (D=10 mm) were fabricated and exposed to 25–500 shocks at the beam focus of an HM-3 lithotripter operated at 20 kV and 1-Hz pulse repetition rate. It was found that the physical properties of BegoStone are comparable to that of hard kidney stones such as calcium oxalate monohydrate stones. In comparison to the widely use stone phantoms made of plaster-of-Paris, BegoStone is much denser and harder, and more difficult to fragment in SWL. Yet, both types of stone phantoms comminute progressively in SWL. In addition, BegoStone is abrasion resistant and does not soften in urine. Therefore, BegoStone may provide a reliable and consistent phantom material for both in vitro and in vivo studies of stone comminution in SWL.