Development of extracorporeal shock wave therapy with a laser-assisted positioning device

The medical applications of focused underwater shock waves have increased during the last 20 years because of growing interest in noninvasive treatments. In this study, an electromagnetic-type shock wave generator is designed based on the way of oriented innovation strategy (WOIS) and Pugh's selection method for industrial product innovative design. The designed shock wave generator mainly consists of a coil, a metal disc, an acoustic lens, a wave medium, a container, and a container cap and laser-assisted positioning devices. A development barrier of electromagnetic-type shock wave generator was found in a design process by the problem field matrix of WOIS and overcome by laser positioning devices. A final clinic-purpose product is developed by Pugh's selection method for obtaining an optimal product. This developed product is tested for its performance based on average focused pressure and average energy intensity, having a characteristic of the effective focal length equal to the geometric focal length. The designed laser positioning devices are constructed and validated by showing a regular triangle on the patient skin. The regular triangle has a feature of its side length being equal to the depth from the treated target to the skin surface.