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New kidney stone treatment eases pain and reduces inconvenience
A new procedure called Break Wave Lithotripsy (BWL) used by Dr. Ben Chew, a Vancouver General Hospital Stone Centre urologist and VCHRI researcher, takes about 30 minutes and uses low-intensity sound waves to break up kidney stones. Unlike existing treatment, for this new trial procedure anesthesia is not required, and patients can drive themselves to and from the hospital.
Pictured above: When Manny Chiquita was approached by Stone Centre urologist Dr. Ben Chew about a new procedure called Break Wave Lithotripsy (BWL), he was intrigued and signed up to participate in the first ever clinical trial of the novel technology.
Manny Chiquita will never forget the first time he experienced the symptoms of kidney stones. It happened in the early 1990s while Chiquita was enjoying a round of golf in Tsawwassen, B.C. “I peed blood and ignored it,” he recalls. “I told myself that, if it happened again, I would see a doctor.”
Two months later, the symptom recurred. The father of two then young children visited his family doctor for a checkup, fearing the worst.
Following a battery of tests, including a computed tomography scan that imaged his internal organs, Chiquita was diagnosed with a 17-millimetre-sized kidney stone that was lodged in his urinary tract, irritating the lining of the ureter tube to the point of drawing blood. Due to its size and location, the stone had to be surgically extracted.
Now 67 years old, Chiquita has been a regular patient at the Stone Centre at Vancouver General Hospital, receiving screenings and treatment for recurrent kidney stones called extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL).
ESWL directs many intense bursts of acoustic sound waves — between 60 to 120 per minute — to each stone to break apart from the inside out. Because of its intensity, the treatment requires sedation and accompaniment home from the hospital. Patients must also take a laxative and follow a clear liquid diet prior to the procedure.
New Break Wave Lithotripsy offers a low-hassle alternative for kidney stones
Because BWL uses low-intensity sound waves, anesthesia is not required. Patients can drive themselves to and from the hospital, with the procedure lasting around 30 minutes. Clinicians use non-radiating ultrasound imaging, with BWL able to piggyback on existing ultrasound machines, making the technology smaller and more portable than ESWL equipment.
BWL whittles down stones from the outside in, carving larger stones into smaller pieces that are easier to pass.
Source: Early access to breakthrough, convenient kidney stone treatment | VCH Research Institute
