Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A device that pulverizes kidney stones and gallstones by passing shock waves through a water-filled tub in which the patient sits.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun surgery A device used in lithotripsy

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Alteration of obsolete lithotriptor, lithontriptor, from lithontriptic, breaking up kidney stones, from New Latin lithontripticus, alteration (influenced by Greek trībein, trīp-, to rub, pound) of lithonthrypticus, from Greek (pharmaka tōn en nephrōis) lithōn thruptika, (drugs) crushing stones (in the kidneys) : lithōn, genitive pl. of lithos, stone + thruptika, neuter pl. of thruptikos, crushing (from thruptein, to crush; see dhreu- in Indo-European roots).]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word lithotripter.

Examples

  • Ok my mum is not in ICU (hope she's ok), but I've just my first kidney stone in 10 years blasted this week in a lithotripter, now the fun of having the little darlins coming out, christ it hurts!

    Bibliophile Bullpen 2009

  • Canada ranks 18th out of 23 OECD countries in MRIs per capita and 17th out of 22 OECD countries in the number of computed tomography (CT) scanners per capita. 2 Worse yet, Canada ranks second to last, 13 out of 14 countries for lithotripter availability.

    Archive 2005-07-17 Candace 2005

  • Canada ranks 18th out of 23 OECD countries in MRIs per capita and 17th out of 22 OECD countries in the number of computed tomography (CT) scanners per capita. 2 Worse yet, Canada ranks second to last, 13 out of 14 countries for lithotripter availability.

    Patience, a National Virtue Candace 2005

  • In most large cities in the United States there is at least one hospital with a lithotripter.

    Swallowing the Bitter Pill 1989

  • One of the relatively new devices is the lithotripter used to break up kidney stones.

    Swallowing the Bitter Pill 1989

  • With its various modular configurations, Sonolith i-move will replace Sonolith Praktis, an earlier generation lithotripter, and complements the Company's high-end Sonolith I-sys lithotripter, an integration of x-ray and ultrasound localization systems.

    unknown title 2011

  • The Sonolith i-move lithotripter is a technologically advanced device with modularity and mobile capability.

    unknown title 2011

  • Sonolith i-move is a compact lithotripter with a revolutionary infrared stereo-vision system for real-time, three-dimensional ultrasound localization of urinary stones.

    unknown title 2011

  • The device is called an extracorporeal shock wave lithotripter and costs $2 million.

    Postbulletin.com Local News 2010

  • On Friday night, around 8 Robust occlusion fi lm withstands pm we were invited by Dr. T. Lock, urologist inadvertent contact with holmium laser and in the University Medical Center Utrecht to intracorporeal lithotripter energy. assist during the fi rst case.

    Recently Uploaded Slideshows 2009

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.