Numerical Simulation of Laser Lithotripsy

The use of lasers to fragment and remove kidney stones (Laser Lithotripsy) has become increasingly popular in surgical procedure due to its high success rates and minimal side effects. However, the precise mechanisms behind the stone fragmentation process are not yet fully understood. The objective of this work is to develop a numerical model to determine the dimensions of the crater (depth, width) generated by the application of a laser on a study material (stone). Given the complexity of the mechanisms involved, a simplified approach is proposed to treat the formation of the crater from a threshold temperature and by using a deformed geometry. The numerical results obtained are then compared to experimental results for different fiber widths and several energies to validate this numerical approach.