Ultrasonic Propulsion of Residual Kidney Stone Fragments

Ultrasonic propulsion, an investigational kidney stone treatment for awake un-anesthetized patients, sweeps stone fragments toward the ureter to facilitate their natural passage through the urine.

Nearly half of patients with small residual fragments following kidney stone surgery, relapse within five years.

Repositioning the fragments results in a 70% lower incidence of relapse -- urgent medical visit or a subsequent surgery. Time to relapse was also longer by nearly 1.5 year in the treatment group.

This study, led by University of Washington and Puget Sound VA investigators, was funded by the NIH.

Sorensen, M.D., et al., "Randomized controlled trial of ultrasonic propulsion-facilitated clearance of residual kidney stone fragments versus observation," J. Urol., EOR, doi:10.1097/JU.0000000000004186, 2024.
https://www.auajournals.org/doi/10.10...