A new study is investigating a nanofluid-based approach to enhance the treatment of urinary stone disease with laser lithotripsy, where a laser is used to break up or ablate stones. The approach works by boosting the efficacy of laser treatment to ablate the stones, which typically form in the bladder or kidney.
The study was published in Advanced Science. Duke’s Michael Lipkin, MD, the Cary N. Robertson, MD, Associate Professor in Urology, is a co-author.
Urinary stone disease is characterized by the hard mineral deposits in the urinary tract, often leads to severe pain and requires medical intervention. Laser lithotripsy is the most common surgical treatment for stones. A collaboration by researchers at the University of Chicago and Duke University’s schools of Engineering and Medicine, have unveiled the novel approach, which increases the effectiveness of lasers without having to modify current laser technologies.
Thus far, efforts to improve the effectiveness of the laser treatment have focused on pulse energy and frequency. This new study takes a different approach, adding nanoparticles to the surrounding fluid that can better absorb the laser’s light, helping the laser work more efficiently and possibly more safely.
In addition, the new intervention does not increase thermal tissue injury and does not appear to harm surrounding tissue.
The authors note that, “Further work should address the remaining challenges for clinical translation, including aggregation in saline, efficacy in real human kidney stones, and comprehensive animal studies.”