A small study shows that ultrasound bursts reduce kidney stones’ volume by 90%, according to research published this week in the Journal of Urology.
Using burst wave lithotripsy (BWL), UW Medicine urologists were able to fragment the stones in 10-minute procedures on patients who were under anesthesia. Eventually, urologists could use this procedure on conscious patients in a clinic visit, said Dr. Mathew Sorensen, a study co-author.
Kidney stones are common, affecting 1 in 10 Americans at a cost of $10 billion per year to treat, the report said. While many stones pass on their own, treatments are sometimes needed to help expel them.
Every year, more than 600 people in the throes of kidney-stone pain seek emergency care at Harborview and UW Medical Center in Seattle. Kidney stones that become stuck in the urinary tract can cause debilitating pain: The obstruction of urine flow also can result in kidney swelling and cramping and set the stage for infection or lasting damage.
Many stones can be treated with a technique called extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) where sound waves are used to break the stone so that the fragments would be more likely to pass. In some cases, however, ESWL only fractures the stones rather than pulverizing them, Sorensen said.
