A lithotriptor is a meical device used in the non-invasive treatment of kidney stones (urinary calculosis) and biliary calculi (stones in the gallbladder or in the liver). The scientific name of this procedure is Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL). Lithotripsy was developed in the early 1980s in Germany by Dornier Medizintechnik GmbH (now known as Dornier MedTech Systems GmbH), and came into widespread use with the introduction of the HM-3 lithotriptor in 1983. Within a few short years, ESWL became a standard treatment of calculosis.