A study has shown that sound waves can successfully destroy kidney stones BEFORE a person needs to urinate painfully.
- The research team found that kidney stones can be fragmented using blast wave lithotripsy, reducing the pain of passing them.
- The process uses ultrasonic waves to impact the stone and break it into smaller pieces that can be easily passed through.
- Kidney stones may sometimes require surgery if they are too large and painful for a person to pass naturally.
- About 10% of Americans suffer from kidney stones every year, and they are especially painful in men.
A study has shown that sound wave treatment can break down kidney stones, helping a person avoid the devastating pain that comes with trying to get out of them.
Researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle have found that pulsed wave lithotripsy (BWL) can break up kidney stones into small enough pieces to be easily expelled.
It only requires a quick ten-minute treatment and may help avoid other kidney stone treatments that Americans, and men in particular, currently use to treat stones.
Passing a kidney stone can be extremely painful, as a solid object must pass through the urinary tract to pass naturally.
Researchers have found that pulsed wave lithotripsy can fragment kidney stones and make them easier to remove without more serious medical intervention, such as surgery.
The researcher, who published his findings Tuesday in the Journal of Urology, recruited 19 participants for the study, all of whom suffered from kidney stones.
The BWL process uses bursts of sounds to attack the kidney stone and break it into smaller pieces.
It is not a very invasive procedure, much easier and less resource intensive than surgery, or as painful as trying to get out of the stone naturally.
A total of 19 participants had 25 kidney stones. Each was treated with BWL for ten minutes.
As a result of the treatment, it was possible to break 90 percent of the stones and completely crush 40 percent of them.
Slightly more than half of the stones were at least partially destroyed by sound waves.
The remaining stone fragments were small enough that patients could easily pass through them with little pain.
On-site examination by investigators found no negative side effects and only slight tissue damage in treated patients.
About 10% of Americans suffer from kidney stones every year. The process of going through can be incredibly painful and debilitating, and can sometimes require major medical attention.
If widely adopted, this treatment could be a game-changer in treating a condition that affects more Americans than some may believe.
About ten percent of Americans suffer from kidney stones every year, the researchers write, costing the country’s economy about $10 billion a year.
Kidney stones form when deposits of minerals form in a person’s body that harden over time.
The body has to go through this to get rid of it, but it can be an extremely painful and difficult process.
Overweight or obese people who don’t drink enough water every day or have an unhealthy diet are most at risk.
When a stone is too large to pass naturally, it can cause severe pain and require surgery.
The researchers write in a statement that they hope their findings “represent a step towards in-office lithotripsy for awake patients” as the treatment could avoid the need for anesthesia and more serious interventions.