The lithotrite was an early medical device

Medical device

A medical device is a product which is used for medical purposes in patients, in diagnosis, therapy or surgery . Whereas medicinal products achieve their principal action by pharmacological, metabolic or immunological means. Medical devices act by other means like physical, mechanical, thermal,...

, invented by Jean Civiale

Jean Civiale

Jean Civiale was a French surgeon and urologist, who, in 1832, invented a surgical instrument and performed transurethral lithotripsy, the first known minimally invasive surgery, to crush stones inside the bladder without having to open the abdomen...

, which was used to perform transurethral lithotripsy

Lithotripsy

Lithotripsy refers to the physical destruction of gallstones or kidney stones. The term is derived from the Greek words meaning "breaking stones" .Forms include:* Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy...

, the first known minimally invasive surgery, to crush stones inside the bladder without having to open the abdomen (lithotomy). To remove a calculus

Calculus (medicine)

A calculus is a stone that forms in an organ or duct of the body. Formation of calculi is known as lithiasis...

 the instrument was inserted through the urethra

Urethra

In anatomy, the urethra is a tube that connects the urinary bladder to the genitals for the removal of fluids out of the body. In males, the urethra travels through the penis, and carries semen as well as urine...

and holes bored in the stone. Afterwards, it was crushed with the same instrument and resulting fragments aspired or allowed to flow normally with urine.