This project will refine and validate plug-and-play sensor and effector probes to integrate with the NASA Flexible Ultrasound (FUS) unit to address the medical condition Nephrolithiasis (kidney stones) listed in the ExMC Gap Report 4.02, specifically ExMC Gap Report 4.13 Limited capability to diagnose and treat a renal stone. In summary, astronauts are at an increased risk of stone development because of microgravity, dehydration, and altered bone metabolism associated with space flight. The risk is that a stone, while innocuous when still in the kidney, will cause debilitating pain as it passes or worse, become obstructing, which can lead to urinary tract infection, sepsis, renal failure, and death. Short of surgery there is currently no available technology to affect when the stone moves from the kidney or manipulate the stone once it has begun to move.

The University of Washington invented and developed ultrasound technology to reposition stones to facilitate stone passage from the kidney. Using a Verasonics FUS (VFUS), commercial handheld probe, and real-time imaging, the stone and kidney are visualized and, with a touch of the screen, a short burst of ultrasound waves are focused on the stone to reposition (push) the stone to a new location. Development of the technology has focused on the clearance of stone fragments after shock wave lithotripsy (SWL). This proposal will refine the probe and software, and validate use for space-based needs including to a) detect and move ureteral stones, b) prevent or relieve an obstruction, c) manipulate de novo stones attached to kidney papillae, and d) comminute stones and expel the residual fragments. The result will be delivery of a probe and software that can be implemented on the NASA FUS to provide an option, where currently in space there is none, to treat most any in-flight kidney stone situation.

The post Prevention of Renal Stone Complications in Space Exploration appeared first on NSBRI.

The post Smart Therapeutic Ultrasound Device for Mission-Critical Medical Care appeared first on NSBRI.

The post Smart Therapeutic Ultrasound Device for Mission-Critical Medical Care appeared first on NSBRI.

Dr. Julianna C. Simon and colleagues are developing an ultrasound imaging protocol to enhance twinkling for kidney stone detection in space. Using modeling and experimentation, the researchers will evaluate the effects of Doppler imaging parameters, ambient pressure, pH, stone type, and gas composition on the appearance of twinkling in ex vivo stones. The end result will be an increased understanding of the etiology of the twinkling artifact and stone disease, in addition to an improved ultrasound imaging protocol for kidney stone detection in space.

Video: Watch this highlight of First Award Fellow Dr. Julianna Simon, working at University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory.

The post Improving Kidney Stone Detection In Space Analogs (First Award Fellowship) appeared first on NSBRI.

Kidney stones exert a major burden on the US healthcare system, causing pain, obstruction of the urinary tract, and loss of worker productivity. They are of particular concern in space flight, because microgravity, dehydration, and altered bone metabolism increase the risk of stone development A kidney stone can cause debilitating pain as it passes or worse, become obstructing, and leading to other complications. Thus, developing a non-invasive approach to mitigate against severe complications would be a major advance with potential broad clinical applications on earth.

Dr. Hunter Wessells and colleagues in the Department of Urology and Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington are conducting a research project to determine whether medical ultrasound devices can be used to reposition kidney stones within the human urinary tract. The research team will assess the safety and feasibility through a pilot clinical trial involving 15 subjects undergoing evaluation and treatment of existing kidney stones. The goal of the study is to determine whether kidney stones can be moved within the kidney and what the patient experiences during the repositioning.

The post First Clinical Test of Feasibility of Ultrasound to Reposition Kidney Stones appeared first on NSBRI.