Ultrasonics – Therapeutic focused short pressure pulse sources – Characteristics of fields

IEC 61846:2025 is applicable to:

– therapy equipment using extracorporeally induced focused pressure pulse waves;

– therapy equipment producing focused mechanical energy excluding thermal energy.

This document does not apply to percutaneous and laser lithotripsy equipment.

This document does not apply to:

– histotripsy or other therapeutic ultrasound bursts of longer time duration than that of the pressure pulse;

– non-focused pressure pulse equipment.

This document specifies:

– measurable parameters which could be used in the declaration of the acoustic output of extracorporeal focused pressure pulse equipment;

– methods of measurement and characterization of the pressure field generated by focused pressure pulse equipment.

While this document has been developed for equipment intended for use in lithotripsy, it has been developed such that, as long as no other specific standards are available to be used for other medical applications of therapeutic extracorporeal focused pressure pulse equipment, this document can be used as a guideline.

IEC 61846:2025 cancels and replaces the first edition published in 1998. This edition constitutes a technical revision.

This edition