it may be good to know that we aren’t talking about an entirely new process, shock(!) wave lithotripsy has been around for quite some time now. The "game-changer" is the introduction of burst wave lithotripsy, which apparently is less painful and thus possible to go through without general anaesthisia, which, don’t get me wrong, is definitely an improvement. But I’m not sure I’d call it a game changer.

I’m not convinced it’s entirely painless as it’s still the same "crush and drive out via ultrasound" idea. Combine this with the fact that just existing is excruciating with stones, i don’t see a way around opioid analgesia. Additionally, the game hasn’t changed in the regard of the human pelvis being great at keeping out ultrasound, so if your stones are out of reach that way, you’re SOL.