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
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Saturday January 28 2023, @01:16AM (1 child)
His story about his time at the docs, where they put a stent in his urethra, then he had a string hanging out the end of the dick, then he and his wife had to remove it, was flat out hilarious. Not to mention I was holding my crotch for the 5-10 minutes it took for the whole thing.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Saturday January 28 2023, @02:57AM
Different language.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by bzipitidoo on Saturday January 28 2023, @04:13AM
Nice, but this new method probably will be unaffordable in the US for some time to come.
I had a kidney stone 8 years ago. Made 3 visits to emergency, for the severe pain. They diagnosed that it was as I suspected, a kidney stone, and gave me some pain relief. They did not remove the stone. Cost? $21k, according to their insane fantasy list prices. After insurance, it was $6k, still outrageous. Medicare price was just $290.
To remove the stone I was scheduled for a procedure in which they run a snake up your pee hole, because the particular hospital to which I was being directed was poor and didn't have the ultrasonics method. The doctor informed me I would be required to pay $400 up front. The next day I get a call asking for $1000 up front. What? Turned out, it was $1000 up front for the hospital, and $400 up front for the doctor. And that's a poor place?! I cancelled the operation. 2 months later, without any further episodes of pain, it passed on its own.