Article 68942 NASA Ultrasound Technique Eliminates Kidney Stones Painlessly

NASA Ultrasound Technique Eliminates Kidney Stones Painlessly

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NASA Ultrasound Technique Eliminates Kidney Stones Painlessly:

About one in 11 Americans will experience the discomfort of a kidney stone in their lifetime. While some might think of these pesky mineral clumps as earthly inconveniences, they're a problem up in space, too, prompting NASA to devise a treatment solution appropriate for those suffering among the stars. Their technique could be the secret to eliminating kidney stones quickly and painlessly.

Kidney stones are hard, often jagged mineral deposits that manifest in the ureter, which connects the kidneys with the bladder. While smaller kidney stones (up to 3 mm in diameter) can sometimes pass through the body on their own, larger stones (up to 20 mm) must be broken up within the body or removed surgically. Breaking them up has historically required shock wave lithotripsy (SWL), a technique in which hundreds of shock waves are directed toward the stone from outside of the body.

Though effective, SWL has its caveats. Not only is it effective only half of the time, but it's painful, which means patients must be anesthetized. This makes the procedure more expensive and time-consuming. Anesthesia also isn't ideal for people traveling through space, which is what propelled NASA to devise and test an alternative method. The agency shared its new technique in a recent issue of The Journal of Urology.

Abstract:

Purpose:
Our goal was to test transcutaneous focused ultrasound in the form of ultrasonic propulsion and burst wave lithotripsy to reposition ureteral stones and facilitate passage in awake subjects.
[...]
Conclusions:
This study supports the efficacy and safety of using ultrasonic propulsion and burst wave lithotripsy in awake subjects to reposition and break ureteral stones to relieve pain and facilitate passage

Reference: M. Kennedy Hall, Jeff Thiel, Barbrina Dunmire et al., First Series Using Ultrasonic Propulsion and Burst Wave Lithotripsy to Treat Ureteral Stones, J Urology, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000002864

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