Shock wave medical treatment apparatus with exchangeable imaging ultrasonic wave probe

Claim 1

A shock wave applicator for a shock wave medical treatment apparatus, comprising: shock wave transducer means for generating shock waves with their focal point inside a body to be treated, the shock wave transducer means having an aperture at its center; imaging ultrasonic wave probe means for taking images of the body to be treated containing the focal point of the shock waves; acoustic coupler means, arranged to be in contact with the shock wave transducer means, for propagating the shock waves between the shock wave transducer means and the body to be treated, the acoustic coupler means having a central hole on a bottom surface; housing pipe means disposed in the aperture of the shock wave transducer means and central hole of the acoustic coupler means and placed on a line joining the focal point of the shock waves and the center of the aperture of the shock wave transducer means, for exchangeably holding the imaging ultrasonic wave probe means inside of the housing pipe means, where an interior of the acoustic coupler means and the imaging ultrasonic wave probe means held inside the housing pipe means are completely separated by the housing pipe means; and means for sliding the shock wave transducer means along the housing pipe means while the imaging ultrasonic wave probe means is held inside the housing pipe means.