Fabrication of acoustically and physically validated artificial stones to natural kidney stones under shock waves and laser lithotripsy

To present an efficient method for fabricating artificial kidney stones with acoustic and physical properties to assess their fragmentation efficiency under shock waves and laser lithotripsy for very hard stones. The mixture ratio of super-hard plaster and water was adjusted to produce artificial kidney stones for comparison with > 95% human genuine calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) and uric acid (UA) stones. Acoustic and physical properties, such as wave speed, stone hardness, density, compressive strength, and stone-free rates under shock-wave and laser lithotripsy, were assessed. The longitudinal wave speed of artificial stones prepared at a plaster-to-water ratio of 15:3 closely matched that of COM stones. Similarly, the transverse wave speed of artificial stones prepared at a plaster-to-water ratio of 15:3 to 15:5 aligned with that of COM stones. Stone fragmentation using shock-wave of artificial stones with mixed ratios ranging from 15:3 to 15:5 resembled that of COM stones. The Vickers hardness was similar to that of artificial stones produced with a mixing ratio of 15:3, similar to that of COM stones, while that of artificial stones produced with a mixing ratio of 15:5 was similar to that of UA stones. Density-wise, artificial stones with mixing ratios of 15:4 and 15:5 resembled COM stones. Compressive strength test results did not confirm the similarity between natural and artificial stones. The stone fragmentation using laser showed that stones produced with higher moisture content at a mixing ratio of 15:6 were similar to COM stones. This novel method for fabricating artificial kidney stones could be used to provide reliable materials for lithotripsy research.