Cordes et al. [8] investigated four lithotripter and four
different types of stone baskets. In this study they showed
that the resistance of the baskets depends on the thickness
of the wires. Also plaited wires seem to be more resistant
to the radiation of the laser. An overview of accidental
fragmentation of dormia basket and guidewire showed
that this problem should be further investigated [9].
This study attempted to make stone baskets more resistant
to a Holmium:YAG-laser by coating them with a titanium
oxide layer established by a sol–gel process. This
process was investigated by BioCer, and is normally used
for polymer medical implants such as hernia meshes or
hard-tissue implants. Because of the biocompatibility, the
industrial availability and clinical experience with this layer
we tested this layer on the basket-wires. The crystal class
is tetragonal (rutil) which is the most common form of
Titanium Dioxide. Rutil is hard, chemically resistant and
has a high refractive index.