Summary for the laypeople such as myself:
The University of Washington is conducting clinical trials on a groundbreaking medical procedure called burst wave lithotripsy for kidney stones. This procedure uses ultrasound waves to break apart kidney stones and ultrasonic propulsion to expel the fragments, potentially providing relief in under 10 minutes. It could revolutionize kidney stone treatment, allowing early intervention. The technology has also gained NASA’s interest, as it could be used by astronauts to address kidney stones during space travel. The research has been funded by NASA for the past decade, and it may become available for regular office use within the next year.
As someone with medullary sponge kidney I approve.
Totally anecdotal, but I’ve read that burst wave lithotripsy can cause further damage to those with MSK given the complexity of the internal structure of the kidneys…just something to be aware of. There’s almost no research being done on MSK from what I can see though.
