The method, dubbed burst wave lithotripsy (BWL), successfully fragmented the majority of kidney stones, promising a non-surgical way to treat patients with this common condition.Up to 15 percent of people will experience kidney stones at some point in their life. Many cases of small stones are known to pass spontaneously and without any intervention, however, some patients require surgical intervention to avoid permanent kidney damage.For several decades surgeons have used sound waves to break up kidney stones in a method called extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL). The method involves high intensity acoustic pulses and generally requires patients to be sedated or even anesthetized.