For decades, doctors have used a non-surgical technique called extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) to break up kidney stones so they can be excreted in the urine. Simply put, the method involves subjecting the stones to high-intensity external sound wave pulses. Although the patient does not need surgery, sedation or even anesthesia is often necessary because the intense sound pulses can cause pain to the patient.
In addition, the surgery must be performed in a specialized room using considerable equipment. Additionally, the pulses may damage healthy tissue near the kidney stone. This is where the new "Lithovortex" treatment comes in.
And now, kidney stone treatment could soon become faster, easier and safer. Scientists have devised a method that uses so-called "acoustic vortex beams" to non-invasively tear stones apart.
The treatment, currently being developed by scientists at Spain's Universitat Politècnica de València and the Spanish National Research Council, uses a portable machine to generate swirling ultrasound waves called acoustic vortex beams.
These beams do not hit the stone directly like ESWL pulses, but rotate around the stone like a tornado. During rotation, they exert shear forces on the stones, causing them to disintegrate.
Importantly, because vortex beam treatment is extremely efficient, its intensity is only half that of the pulses used in ESWL, and it takes only half the time to complete the treatment. This means patients do not need to be sedated, the risk of tissue damage is minimal, and the procedure can be performed on an outpatient basis.
The machine, which is still in the prototype stage, uses a robotic arm to deliver eddy currents generated by an array of piezoelectric transducers. It is guided by an accompanying imaging system.
It is planned that the Lithovortex system will be validated in animal models sometime next year.