Lithotripsy Device Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)

Market Overview

The lithotripsy devises market was valued at approximately USD 1.58 billion in 2020, and it is expected to reach USD 2.04 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 4.3% during the forecast period, 2021-2026.

The market is primarily driven by the increasing incidence of urolithiasis, rise in the number of extracorporeal shock waves lithotripsy procedures, and technological advancements coupled with rising awareness. The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the lithotripsy devices market, as anesthesiologists were needed to manage patients in acute COVID-19 crisis and, therefore, had to withdraw from elective surgery. The number of beds used for urological patients had to be reduced to dedicate beds and personnel to the new COVID-19 wards. Also, there was a need to not infect elective patients via hospital contamination. Most importantly, from a urological perspective, most of the residual urological medical staff became entirely dedicated to managing the infected patients on the newly formed COVID-19 ward. Hence, the growing COVID-19 patient pool and lesser number of elective surgeries impacted the market in 2020.

Urolithiasis is a common urologic problem, and it poses a significant burden on the healthcare system globally. It is associated with an increased risk of end-stage renal failure, which is driving the demand for lithotripsy devices. As per the European Association of Urology, 2019, the prevalence rates for urinary stones vary from 1% to 20%. In countries with a high standard of life, such as Canada, Sweden, or the United States, renal stone prevalence is notably high (> 10%). For some areas, an increase of more than 37% has been reported over the last 20 years. It has been associated with an increased risk of end-stage renal failure. Thus, the increasing global prevalence of urolithiasis necessitates safe, efficacious, and affordable treatment for urolithiasis.

Over the years, lithotripsy has become the most preferred method for the treatment of kidney stones, largely due to the advantage of its relative safety, low cost, less recovery time, and positive patient outcomes. Thus, all these factors are responsible for driving the growth of the market studied.

However, apart from several advantages of the treatment, there are several risks associated with the lithotripsy treatment. This treatment sometimes leads to internal bleeding and may need a blood transfusion. It can lead to adverse side effects, where the kidney may get damaged due to blockage in the flow of urine passage caused by tiny stone particles. There are complications, such as high blood pressure, which also restrain the market. Also, the adverse effects of lithotripsy shock waves often result in hypertension, diabetes, and, in some cases, permanent loss of functional renal volume, which act as major barriers for the lithotripsy devices market.

Scope of the Report

As per the scope of the report, lithotripsy is a procedure that uses shock waves to break up the stones in the kidney, bladder, or ureter. After the procedure, the tiny pieces of stones pass out of the body through the process of urination. However, large-sized stones are not able to pass through routine urination. Thus, the formation of stones can lead to bleeding, severe pain in the urinary tract, infection, and kidney damage. The lithotripsy device market is segmented by type (extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy devices and intracorporeal lithotripsy devices), application (kidney stones, ureteral stones, pancreatic stones and, bile duct stones), end user (hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and other end users), and geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle-East and Africa, and South America). The report offers the value (in USD million) for the above segments.

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Key Market Trends

The Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) Devices Segment is Expected to Have a Significant Share in the Market

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy is a technique for treating stones in the kidney and ureter that do not require surgery. Instead, high-energy shock waves are passed through the body and used to break stones into pieces as small as grains of sand. The extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy devices (ESWL) are used for the treatment of kidney and ureter stones. This technology has been utilized by physicians worldwide and is expected to increase its penetration over the coming years due to the advantages offered by such as minimal invasiveness, reduced pain, and shorter hospital stay, and quicker recovery time.

With the growing cases of COVID-19, there is a lesser number of urology surgeries being performed that has also reduced the number of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) devices during this time, which is anticipated to have a slight negative impact on the market.

It is the most common lithotripsy performed outside the body, which refers to the shock wave treatment. During extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), a special machine known as lithotripter, generates high-energy shock waves such as sound waves, X-ray, or ultrasound, which pass through the body until they hit the kidney stones.

However, it was found that ESWL was first performed in the United States. However, it has been reported that some patients may not experience a successful outcome following ESWL. ESWL, however, is only used in selected stones in the kidney and ureter. Therefore, it does not apply to all stone types or locations. Generally, this procedure is considered safe and less time-consuming, it takes only 45 minutes to perform. The growing demand for non-invasive procedures is leading to the adoption of ESWL.

Hence, with the growing kidney-related disorders, coupled with rising awareness, across the globe are likely to augment the market growth over the forecast period.

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